Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Annaly Capital Management Stock Down 0.4 %

The company has a market cap of $12.51 billion, a PE ratio of 13.61, a PEG ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 1.52. The company’s fifty day moving average is $19.63 and its 200-day moving average is $19.80.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 expect that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Annaly Capital Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Annaly Capital Management’s payout ratio is 163.52%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NLY. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 850 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 34.4% during 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 buying an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 51.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.