Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) Short Interest Update

Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 15,410,000 shares, a growth of 27.3% from the March 15th total of 12,110,000 shares. Approximately 4.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,580,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.0 days.

Starwood Property Trust Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of STWD traded down $0.44 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $18.12. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 881,211 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,447,280. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.61. Starwood Property Trust has a 52 week low of $16.59 and a 52 week high of $21.17. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $19.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.57. The stock has a market cap of $6.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.49 and a beta of 1.34.

Starwood Property Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.60%. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 174.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on STWD. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $19.50 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Starwood Property Trust

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of STWD. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $63,044,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Starwood Property Trust during the 4th quarter valued at $48,841,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA bought a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the 4th quarter worth $24,791,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,287,030 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $100,189,000 after purchasing an additional 736,699 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 305.4% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 670,093 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $12,699,000 after buying an additional 504,812 shares during the period. 49.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Starwood Property Trust

Starwood Property Trust, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Commercial and Residential Lending, Infrastructure Lending, Property, and Investing and Servicing segments. The Commercial and Residential Lending segment originates, acquires, finances, and manages commercial first mortgages, non-agency residential mortgages, subordinated mortgages, mezzanine loans, preferred equity, commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), and residential mortgage-backed securities, as well as other real estate and real estate-related debt investments, include distressed or non-performing loans.