AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Trading Up 1.8% - Time to Buy?

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report) shares were up 1.8% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $9.38 and last traded at $9.38. Approximately 7,467,179 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 48% from the average daily volume of 14,317,139 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.21.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

AGNC Investment Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $8.22 billion, a PE ratio of 6.44 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company's fifty day moving average is $9.55 and its 200 day moving average is $9.93.

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

AGNC Investment Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AGNC Investment

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in AGNC Investment during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in AGNC Investment during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in AGNC Investment by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,661 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake 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 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).