Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $14.88 and last traded at $14.8850, with a volume of 853528 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $15.10.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STWD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Starwood Property Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $19.00 to $18.50 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $19.00 to $18.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $20.00 target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $19.20.

Starwood Property Trust Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $5.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $16.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.40. Starwood Property Trust had a return on equity of 7.85% and a net margin of 11.35%.The company had revenue of $201.42 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $521.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. Starwood Property Trust’s quarterly revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Starwood Property Trust, Inc. will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Starwood Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 325.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starwood Property Trust

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 882,760.9% in the first quarter. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC now owns 112,176,302 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,931,676,000 after buying an additional 112,163,596 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Starwood Property Trust during the second quarter worth $589,366,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Starwood Property Trust by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,406,419 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $115,453,000 after buying an additional 148,740 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Starwood Property Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $75,177,000. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust in the 2nd quarter worth $70,121,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.82% of the company’s stock.

Starwood Property Trust Company Profile

Starwood Property Trust, Inc is a real estate investment trust focused primarily on commercial real estate finance. The company originates, acquires, finances and manages a range of commercial real estate debt investments, including first mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, subordinated debt and securities backed by commercial properties.

Its activities also include infrastructure lending, residential lending and the ownership or management of commercial real estate investments. Through these businesses, Starwood Property Trust provides financing to property owners, developers and investors across sectors such as office, multifamily, industrial, hospitality and other commercial real estate categories.

Founded in 2009, the company operates primarily in the United States and also pursues investment opportunities in international markets, including Europe.