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

Shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $21.19 and last traded at $21.22, with a volume of 893369 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Argus raised shares of Annaly Capital Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price 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. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays started 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 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.44.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Up 1.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.08. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 1.52.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Annaly Capital Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.24%. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio is 163.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Annaly Capital Management

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the 2nd quarter worth about $205,000. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 156.7% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 19,909 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 12,154 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 8.3% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 56,506 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,134,000 after acquiring an additional 4,335 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 142,668 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,863,000 after acquiring an additional 14,948 shares during the period. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 13,006 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.56% of the company’s stock.

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.