Sharpepoint LLC Makes New $897,000 Investment in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Sharpepoint LLC bought a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 49,039 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $897,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter valued at $127,397,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 54,721,696 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,001,407,000 after acquiring an additional 5,859,104 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 238.9% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,198,020 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $95,124,000 after purchasing an additional 3,664,098 shares during the period. PL Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Annaly Capital Management by 1,730.0% during the fourth quarter. PL Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,792,635 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $51,105,000 after purchasing an additional 2,640,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Annaly Capital Management by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,453,133 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $172,706,000 after purchasing an additional 814,917 shares during the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Annaly Capital Management Price Performance

Shares of NLY stock traded up $0.26 during trading on Thursday, reaching $18.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,797,651 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,005,236. The company has a market capitalization of $11.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.60 and a 1-year high of $22.11. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $20.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.80.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 14.95% and a net margin of 20.70%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Annaly Capital Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.80%. Annaly Capital Management's payout ratio is currently 176.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on NLY shares. Barclays began coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $19.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $20.15 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed 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. cut their price objective on Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.