First Financial Bank Trust Division Buys 1,364 Shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

First Financial Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,703 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,364 shares during the quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $525,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 209.9% in the third 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. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 70.2% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,568 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 647 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Annaly Capital Management in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 31.8% in the 3rd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 2,390 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the third quarter valued at about $63,000. 51.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Performance

NYSE:NLY traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $18.38. The stock had a trading volume of 8,603,912 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,537,830. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.30 billion, a PE ratio of -262.57 and a beta of 1.51. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.67 and a 52 week high of $21.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $19.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.77.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.01). Annaly Capital Management had a return on equity of 14.75% and a net margin of 2.59%. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $212.00 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.65 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.15%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio is -3,714.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NLY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus raised Annaly Capital Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Annaly Capital Management from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $19.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.50.

Annaly Capital Management 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.