Sharpepoint LLC Takes Position in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Sharpepoint LLC purchased a new stake in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 49,039 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $897,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 53,040 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $971,000 after buying an additional 505 shares during the period. Cannell & Spears LLC raised its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC now owns 41,268 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $755,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. LVZ Inc. lifted its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. LVZ Inc. now owns 19,632 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $359,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 51.56% of the company’s stock.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE NLY opened at $17.90 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $10.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.25, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.60 and a 12-month high of $22.11. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.83.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.05. Annaly Capital Management had a return on equity of 14.95% and a net margin of 20.70%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This is an increase from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 15.65%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio is 176.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NLY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays began coverage on 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $20.15 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Annaly Capital Management has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.07.

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.