Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Shares Bought by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) by 102.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 186,329 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 94,290 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $3,410,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 93.1% in the fourth quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 275,559 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $5,043,000 after buying an additional 132,891 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Annaly Capital Management by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 537,125 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $10,780,000 after purchasing an additional 48,555 shares in the last quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $527,000. Tandem Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $327,000. Finally, Wernau Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.56% of the company's stock.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NLY traded up $0.24 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $17.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,593,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,913,329. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.60 and a 12-month high of $22.11. The company has a market cap of $10.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $20.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.86.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This is a boost from Annaly Capital Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 15.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 176.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on NLY shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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 research report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays began coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, January 6th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $19.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Annaly Capital Management currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.07.

Annaly Capital Management 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.