Virtu Financial LLC Acquires 21,476 Shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD)

Virtu Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) by 134.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 37,429 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 21,476 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Starwood Property Trust were worth $709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the fourth quarter worth about $48,841,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA purchased a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,791,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,345,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $108,960,000 after purchasing an additional 399,672 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Starwood Property Trust by 78.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 891,734 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $18,174,000 after buying an additional 390,787 shares during the period. Finally, Columbus Macro LLC bought a new stake in Starwood Property Trust in the fourth quarter worth $7,022,000. 49.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on STWD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $22.50 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.50 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $22.21.

Starwood Property Trust Trading Up 0.2 %

STWD stock opened at $19.98 on Tuesday. Starwood Property Trust, Inc. has a 12 month low of $18.12 and a 12 month high of $21.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $19.72 and its 200 day moving average is $19.79. The company has a market capitalization of $6.74 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.61, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.79.

Starwood Property Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.61%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 174.55%.

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.