Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) Reaches New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $21.19 and last traded at $21.22, with a volume of 893369 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.93.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on NLY shares. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, January 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $19.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Annaly Capital Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $21.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.44.

Annaly Capital Management Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.76. The firm has a market cap of $11.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.08.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.05. Annaly Capital Management had a net margin of 20.70% and a return on equity of 14.95%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.16%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 163.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Annaly Capital Management

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NLY. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 209.9% in the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,255 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. bought a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,630 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted 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 worth $39,000 after buying an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 51.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.