Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.07.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on NLY shares. Jonestrading lifted their price objective on Annaly Capital Management from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Compass Point assumed coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Annaly Capital Management from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 27th.

Insider Activity

In other Annaly Capital Management news, CEO David L. Finkelstein sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.03, for a total transaction of $951,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 662,469 shares in the company, valued at $12,606,785.07. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Selway Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 222.2% in the fourth quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,450 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, First United Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 51.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NLY opened at $18.64 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.62. Annaly Capital Management has a 1-year low of $14.52 and a 1-year high of $21.07. The firm has a market cap of $9.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.16 and a beta of 1.54.

Annaly Capital Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.95%. Annaly Capital Management’s payout ratio is presently -72.02%.

About Annaly Capital Management

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.