Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.29.

Several research analysts recently commented on NLY shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $19.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $20.15 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Assetmark Inc. bought a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,630 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,143 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the period. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,425 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 549 shares during the period. 51.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Performance

Annaly Capital Management stock traded up $0.19 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $17.49. 12,507,040 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,880,267. The company's 50-day moving average is $20.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.91. Annaly Capital Management has a 52-week low of $16.60 and a 52-week high of $22.11. The firm has a market cap of $10.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.00, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.05. Annaly Capital Management had a return on equity of 14.95% and a net margin of 20.70%. Analysts anticipate that Annaly Capital Management will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This is an increase from Annaly Capital Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 16.01%. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 176.10%.

Annaly Capital Management Company Profile

Annaly Capital Management, Inc, a diversified capital manager, engages in mortgage finance. The company invests in agency mortgage-backed securities collateralized by residential mortgages; non-agency residential whole loans and securitized products within the residential and commercial markets; mortgage servicing rights; agency commercial mortgage-backed securities; to-be-announced forward contracts; residential mortgage loans; and agency or private label credit risk transfer securities.