iStar Financial Shares Popped: What You Need to Know

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of commercial real estate finance company iStar Financial (NYS: SFI) surged 27% on Tuesday after its board of directors approved a new $65 million share repurchase program.

So what: We Fools love stock buybacks, as they serve to reduce the number of shares outstanding and, in turn, increase earnings per share and the percentage stake that each shareholder has in the company. Given that the stock has been punished 45% in July alone, Wall Street seems to be applauding the timeliness of the announcement.

Now what: I wouldn't be so quick to jump in just yet. While today's share price boost is easily justified, iStar's long string of operating losses and hefty debt load continue to make it a questionable long-term opportunity. Throw in a stock price that swings nearly three times as violently as the market, and iStar is an easy pass for most investors.

Interested in more info on iStar?Add it to your watchlist.

At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributorBrian Pacamparaowns no position in any of the companies mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Fool'sdisclosure policyalways gets a perfect score.

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