HTLF Bank Takes Position in Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD)

HTLF Bank acquired a new stake in Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 36,470 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $767,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its holdings in Starwood Property Trust by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 1,500 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Starwood Property Trust by 111.8% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,224 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,174 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Starwood Property Trust by 52.7% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,734 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 943 shares during the period. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Starwood Property Trust by 50.0% in the first quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Starwood Property Trust by 85.7% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,210 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 1,481 shares during the period. 49.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on STWD. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $21.50 target price (down previously from $22.50) on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. BTIG Research reduced their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.71.

Starwood Property Trust Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of STWD stock traded up $0.21 on Friday, hitting $19.35. The stock had a trading volume of 345,914 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,124,602. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.88 and a beta of 1.65. Starwood Property Trust, Inc. has a 1 year low of $16.06 and a 1 year high of $22.29. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $19.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.92.

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 issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.92%. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 179.44%.

Insider Activity at Starwood Property Trust

In other Starwood Property Trust news, President Jeffrey F. Dimodica sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the president now owns 1,226,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,876,928.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, President Jeffrey F. Dimodica sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total value of $2,028,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 1,226,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,876,928.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Jeffrey F. Dimodica sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total value of $508,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 925,984 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,825,254.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 5.40% of the company’s stock.

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.