Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Boosts Stock Position in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) by 4,538.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,707 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 21,239 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd's holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $397,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NLY. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,201,085 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $22,008,000 after purchasing an additional 84,786 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 484,043 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $8,858,000 after buying an additional 82,983 shares during the last quarter. Aviva PLC increased its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 1,622.9% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 323,521 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $5,920,000 after buying an additional 304,743 shares in the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,578,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,008,595 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $18,457,000 after acquiring an additional 92,959 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.56% of the company's stock.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Up 1.1 %

Annaly Capital Management stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $17.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,507,040 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,867,064. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $16.60 and a 1 year high of $22.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.11 billion, a PE ratio of 11.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31. The stock's fifty day moving average is $20.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.91.

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

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on NLY shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $20.15 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. 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. raised their price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Annaly Capital Management presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.29.

About Annaly Capital Management

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.