MidFirst Bank Makes New Investment in Starwood Property Trust, Inc. $STWD

MidFirst Bank bought a new position in Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 46,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $828,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of STWD. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 106.1% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,449 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 746 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 154.4% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,496 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 908 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Starwood Property Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starwood Property Trust

In other news, Director Jeffrey G. Dishner sold 7,013 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.13, for a total transaction of $120,132.69. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 168,152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,880,443.76. This represents a 4.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 5.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Starwood Property Trust Price Performance

NYSE STWD opened at $16.70 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a PE ratio of 17.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.98. Starwood Property Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.61 and a 12-month high of $21.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $17.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.84.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.03). Starwood Property Trust had a return on equity of 7.91% and a net margin of 18.11%.The business had revenue of $205.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $496.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.45 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Starwood Property Trust, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starwood Property Trust announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $400.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the real estate investment trust to reacquire up to 6.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Starwood Property Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 200.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on STWD shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Starwood Property Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 price target on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a report on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered Starwood Property Trust from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group began coverage on Starwood Property Trust in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Starwood Property Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.70.

About Starwood Property Trust

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that specializes in originating, acquiring and managing commercial mortgage loans and other real estate-related investments. The company’s portfolio spans a variety of asset classes, including senior mortgages, mezzanine debt, preferred equity and direct equity investments in commercial properties. By focusing on both debt and equity capital solutions, Starwood Property Trust seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for its shareholders through a combination of current income and capital appreciation.

Operating primarily in the United States, Starwood Property Trust deploys capital across a broad range of property types, such as multifamily residential, office, retail, hotel and industrial.