Starwood Property Trust Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:STWD)

Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Traders acquired 20,263 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 596% compared to the average volume of 2,912 put options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Starwood Property Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $648,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 2,808.7% during the 2nd quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 33,886 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $642,000 after buying an additional 32,721 shares during the last quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,380 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $329,000 after buying an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Starwood Property Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at $275,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 26.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,572 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. 49.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Starwood Property Trust Stock Up 0.3 %

STWD stock traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $19.63. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,105,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,212,804. The company has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a PE ratio of 14.12 and a beta of 1.69. Starwood Property Trust has a 12 month low of $17.07 and a 12 month high of $22.29. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $19.42 and its 200-day moving average is $19.80.

Starwood Property Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.78%. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 138.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $20.50 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Raymond James cut their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $23.50 to $23.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $24.00 price target on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research report on Friday, July 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $20.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Starwood Property Trust in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three 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 $21.71.

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.