JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Stock Price

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC - Free Report) had its target price lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $9.50 to $8.50 in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the real estate investment trust's stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on AGNC. Argus raised shares of AGNC Investment to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $11.00 target price on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded AGNC Investment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on AGNC Investment from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on AGNC Investment from $10.75 to $10.25 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AGNC Investment currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $10.36.

AGNC Investment Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of AGNC traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $8.34. The company had a trading volume of 39,122,252 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,687,434. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. AGNC Investment has a 52-week low of $7.85 and a 52-week high of $10.85. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $9.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.72. The firm has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.60 and a beta of 1.32.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.05). AGNC Investment had a net margin of 29.26% and a return on equity of 21.92%. On average, research analysts predict that AGNC Investment will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a apr 25 dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a yield of 17.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. AGNC Investment's payout ratio is 148.45%.

Insider Transactions at AGNC Investment

In other AGNC Investment news, CFO Bernice Bell sold 13,000 shares of AGNC Investment stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total value of $130,520.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 372,226 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,737,149.04. The trade was a 3.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Frances Spark sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.10, for a total value of $50,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 75,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $766,781.90. This represents a 6.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AGNC Investment

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC increased its position in AGNC Investment by 12.5% during the 1st quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,761 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,529 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. boosted its holdings in AGNC Investment by 1.4% in the first quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 99,543 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $954,000 after purchasing an additional 1,399 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of AGNC Investment by 70.6% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 53,368 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $511,000 after buying an additional 22,081 shares in the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in AGNC Investment by 47.3% during the 1st quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 80,478 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $771,000 after acquiring an additional 25,850 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in shares of AGNC Investment by 22.3% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 249,127 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,387,000 after purchasing an additional 45,457 shares during the last quarter. 38.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).