California Public Employees Retirement System Sells 41,792 Shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD)

California Public Employees Retirement System decreased its position in Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD - Free Report) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 533,776 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 41,792 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned about 0.17% of Starwood Property Trust worth $11,220,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of STWD. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its holdings in Starwood Property Trust by 97.5% during the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 104,320 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,018,000 after acquiring an additional 51,504 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 2,347.1% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 270,406 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,684,000 after purchasing an additional 259,356 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust in the 3rd quarter worth $6,772,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new stake in Starwood Property Trust during the third quarter valued at about $506,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 26.7% in 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 in the last quarter. 49.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STWD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $21.50 price target (down from $22.50) on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research report on Monday, March 4th. BTIG Research decreased their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.71.

Starwood Property Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STWD traded up $0.25 during trading on Thursday, reaching $19.37. The stock had a trading volume of 1,651,066 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,137,068. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The business's 50-day moving average price is $19.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.95. Starwood Property Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $16.06 and a 52 week high of $22.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 17.86 and a beta of 1.65.

Starwood Property Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.91%. Starwood Property Trust's payout ratio is 179.44%.

Insider Activity at Starwood Property Trust

In related news, President Jeffrey F. Dimodica sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total transaction of $2,028,000.00. Following 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 is accessible through this hyperlink. 5.40% of the stock is owned by company 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.