WINTON GROUP Ltd Purchases Shares of 84,581 Starwood Property Trust, Inc. $STWD

Key Points

• WINTON GROUP Ltd opened a new position in Starwood Property Trust during the fourth quarter, buying 84,581 shares worth about $1.52 million.
• Starwood Property Trust reported Q1 earnings of $0.39 per share, below estimates of $0.42, and revenue of $205.55 million, well under the expected $496.25 million.
• The company authorized a $400 million share repurchase program and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.48 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 11.4%.

WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 84,581 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,523,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 746 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its position in Starwood Property Trust by 154.4% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the third quarter valued at $29,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.82% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Starwood Property Trust Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of Starwood Property Trust stock opened at $16.84 on Tuesday. Starwood Property Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $16.76 and a one year high of $21.05. The company has a market cap of $6.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.54, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.31, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $17.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.91.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $205.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $496.25 million. Starwood Property Trust had a net margin of 18.11% and a return on equity of 7.91%. The firm's revenue was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Starwood Property Trust, Inc. will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Starwood Property Trust declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the real estate investment trust to repurchase up to 6.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Starwood Property Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.4%. Starwood Property Trust's payout ratio is 200.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on STWD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.50 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings cut Starwood Property Trust from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $19.70.

Starwood Property Trust Company Profile

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.

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