New York State Teachers Retirement System Buys 11,965 Shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD)

New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 137,839 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,965 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Starwood Property Trust were worth $2,897,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STWD. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 1,500 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 12,803 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 10,661 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $195,000 after buying an additional 584 shares during the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 43,200 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $908,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 129,403 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,504,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. 49.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on STWD. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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 report on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $21.50 target price (down previously from $22.50) on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a report on Monday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.43.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Jeffrey F. Dimodica sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total value of $2,028,000.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 1,226,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,876,928.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, President Jeffrey F. Dimodica sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total transaction of $508,250.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 925,984 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,825,254.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Jeffrey F. Dimodica sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total transaction of $2,028,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 1,226,673 shares in the company, valued at $24,876,928.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Starwood Property Trust Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:STWD opened at $19.01 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95. Starwood Property Trust, Inc. has a 12 month low of $16.06 and a 12 month high of $22.29. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $19.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.93. The company has a market cap of $5.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.77 and a beta of 1.65.

Starwood Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 29th were given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.10%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 179.44%.

Starwood Property Trust Profile

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.