Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Starwood Property Trust from “hold” to “strong buy,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $18.70.
• Shares opened at $12.12, near the company’s 52-week low of $11.84 and below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $14.67 and $16.23, respectively.
• Starwood reported quarterly EPS of $0.40, matching estimates, while revenue rose 15.6% year over year; institutional investors own approximately 49.82% of the stock.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $19.00 to $18.50 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Starwood Property Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $20.00 price objective on Starwood Property Trust in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $18.50 to $16.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Starwood Property Trust from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Starwood Property Trust presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $18.70.

Starwood Property Trust Price Performance

NYSE:STWD opened at $12.12 on Tuesday. Starwood Property Trust has a 52-week low of $11.84 and a 52-week high of $18.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $14.67 and a 200 day moving average of $16.23.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.40. The company had revenue of $201.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $521.67 million. Starwood Property Trust had a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 7.85%. Starwood Property Trust's revenue for the quarter was up 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Starwood Property Trust will post 1.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 882,760.9% in the 1st quarter. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC now owns 112,176,302 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,931,676,000 after acquiring an additional 112,163,596 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Starwood Property Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $589,366,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Starwood Property Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $70,121,000. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Starwood Property Trust by 8.8% during the 2nd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,046,542 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $49,902,000 after acquiring an additional 246,741 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,498,000. 49.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Starwood Property Trust Company Profile

Starwood Property Trust, Inc is a real estate investment trust that focuses on commercial real estate finance and related investments. The company originates, acquires, and manages a range of real estate debt and equity investments, serving institutional borrowers, property owners, and developers.

Its portfolio and lending activities include senior mortgage loans, mezzanine debt, subordinated loans, preferred equity, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and other structured real estate investments.

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