BNP Paribas Financial Markets Buys 128,477 Shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD - Free Report) by 615.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 149,339 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 128,477 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Starwood Property Trust were worth $3,139,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 52.7% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,734 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $95,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 6,436 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $135,000 after buying an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 6,717 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $141,000 after buying an additional 1,017 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.82% of the company's stock.

Starwood Property Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STWD traded down $0.75 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $19.22. 4,672,600 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,183,344. Starwood Property Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.76 and a 1-year high of $22.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 2.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The company has a market cap of $6.07 billion, a PE ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 1.65. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $19.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.15.

Starwood Property Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. 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 9.99%. Starwood Property Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 138.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on STWD shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. BTIG Research reduced their target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $23.50 to $23.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $21.50 target price (down from $22.50) on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Starwood Property Trust has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.88.

Insider Transactions at Starwood Property Trust

In related news, President Jeffrey F. Dimodica sold 100,000 shares of Starwood Property Trust stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the president now owns 1,226,673 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,876,928.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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.