Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) Reaches New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $21.59 and last traded at $21.55, with a volume of 6745043 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $21.41.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on NLY shares. Argus upgraded Annaly Capital Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays started coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on 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 reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set 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 issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.44.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Up 0.6 %

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.77. The stock has a market cap of $12.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 1.52.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 163.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Annaly Capital Management

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of NLY. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,630 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 34.4% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,143 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.56% of the company’s stock.

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.