Short Interest in AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) Drops By 11.5%

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 41,930,000 shares, a drop of 11.5% from the November 30th total of 47,380,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 18,120,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days.

AGNC Investment Stock Down 0.9 %

AGNC traded down $0.08 during trading on Monday, hitting $9.25. The stock had a trading volume of 23,863,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,289,564. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.23. AGNC Investment has a twelve month low of $8.92 and a twelve month high of $10.85. The company has a market capitalization of $8.19 billion, a PE ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 1.47.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.04). AGNC Investment had a return on equity of 23.41% and a net margin of 42.19%. The business had revenue of $756.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $219.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.65 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that AGNC Investment will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

AGNC Investment Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dec 24 dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 15.1%. AGNC Investment's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AGNC has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of AGNC Investment from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of AGNC Investment from $10.00 to $9.50 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of AGNC Investment from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $10.00 to $12.00 in a report on Friday, September 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AGNC Investment has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $10.44.

Institutional Trading of AGNC Investment

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in AGNC Investment during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in AGNC Investment in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in AGNC Investment by 52.2% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,661 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,255 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in AGNC Investment by 315.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,905 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 2,966 shares during the last quarter. 38.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AGNC Investment

AGNC Investment Corp., formerly American Capital Agency Corp., is a real estate investment trust. The Company invests in agency residential mortgage-backed securities on a leveraged basis. Its investments consist of residential mortgage pass-through securities and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) for which the principal and interest payments are guaranteed by a government-sponsored enterprise, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), or by the United States Government agency, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) (collectively, GSEs).