149,716 Shares in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Purchased by Generali Asset Management SPA SGR

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 149,716 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $2,740,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new stake in Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in 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 worth $39,000 after buying an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NLY shares. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays started coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Annaly Capital Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.44.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NLY opened at $21.79 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $20.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.00. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.67 and a 12-month high of $22.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.71, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.53.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities research 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.85%. This is an increase from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 176.10%.

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.