Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 11,250,000 shares, a decline of 22.6% from the February 13th total of 14,540,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 7,610,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:NLY traded up $0.03 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $21.95. 585,565 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,178,521. The company’s 50 day moving average is $20.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.69 billion, a PE ratio of 13.79, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.53. Annaly Capital Management has a 52 week low of $17.67 and a 52 week high of $22.11.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Annaly Capital Management will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This is an increase from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.76%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 176.10%.

Institutional Trading of Annaly Capital Management

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 209.9% during the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,255 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new position in Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 717 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,143 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 549 shares during the period. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Annaly Capital Management in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. 51.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NLY. Barclays began coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, January 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 target price on the stock. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.44.

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.