Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) Short Interest Up 27.3% in March

Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 15,410,000 shares, a growth of 27.3% from the March 15th total of 12,110,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,580,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.0 days. Currently, 4.8% of the company's shares are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $19.50 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Two investment 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Starwood Property Trust currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $21.86.

Starwood Property Trust Price Performance

Starwood Property Trust stock opened at $18.56 on Friday. Starwood Property Trust has a 52 week low of $16.59 and a 52 week high of $21.17. The firm has a market cap of $6.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.87 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 1.79. The business's fifty day moving average is $19.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.57.

Starwood Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Starwood Property Trust's dividend payout ratio is 174.55%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STWD. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $63,044,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Starwood Property Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $48,841,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA acquired a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the fourth quarter valued at about $24,791,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,287,030 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $100,189,000 after acquiring an additional 736,699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 305.4% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 670,093 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $12,699,000 after purchasing an additional 504,812 shares during the period. 49.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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