Stevens Capital Management LP Cuts Stock Position in Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD)

Stevens Capital Management LP cut its holdings in shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) by 45.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 12,912 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 10,888 shares during the quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP’s holdings in Starwood Property Trust were worth $271,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of STWD. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 84.8% during the third quarter. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,941,284 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $56,914,000 after purchasing an additional 1,349,284 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 26.7% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,121,335 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $60,398,000 after buying an additional 657,180 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $6,772,000. Second Half Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $5,690,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 2,347.1% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 270,406 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,684,000 after buying an additional 259,356 shares during the period. 49.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Starwood Property Trust Price Performance

STWD stock traded up $0.39 during trading on Friday, hitting $19.51. The stock had a trading volume of 2,296,453 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,148,370. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $19.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.95. Starwood Property Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.06 and a 1-year high of $22.29. The stock has a market cap of $6.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Starwood Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 29th were paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.84%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. Starwood Property Trust’s payout ratio is 179.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on STWD shares. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $21.50 target price (down from $22.50) on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research note on Monday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. BTIG Research decreased their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.71.

Insider Activity at Starwood Property Trust

In related news, President Jeffrey F. Dimodica sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total value of $2,028,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 1,226,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,876,928.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Starwood Property Trust news, President Jeffrey F. Dimodica sold 100,000 shares of Starwood Property Trust stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total value of $2,028,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 1,226,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,876,928.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, President Jeffrey F. Dimodica sold 25,000 shares of Starwood Property Trust stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total value of $508,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 925,984 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,825,254.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.