AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $11.25 and last traded at $11.06, with a volume of 16870396 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.16.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AGNC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of AGNC Investment from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Jones Trading reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $10.00 target price on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of AGNC Investment from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of AGNC Investment from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, BTIG Research cut AGNC Investment from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $10.34.

AGNC Investment Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $11.86 billion, a PE ratio of 16.51 and a beta of 1.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $10.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $836.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $466.39 million. AGNC Investment had a return on equity of 18.84% and a net margin of 24.40%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

AGNC Investment Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.0%. AGNC Investment’s dividend payout ratio is currently 214.93%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Peter J. Federico sold 45,798 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.27, for a total transaction of $470,345.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,557,401 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,994,508.27. This represents a 2.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AGNC Investment

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AGNC. Red Tortoise LLC raised its position in AGNC Investment by 377.4% in the second quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 2,764 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,185 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new position in AGNC Investment in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in AGNC Investment in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its position in AGNC Investment by 1,003.0% during the second quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 3,629 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in AGNC Investment by 100.9% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,365 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,690 shares during the period. 38.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AGNC Investment Company Profile

AGNC Investment Corp. is a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily acquires and manages a portfolio of residential mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored enterprises such as Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The company employs a leveraged total return strategy, borrowing against its securities to enhance income potential while using interest rate hedges to manage risk. AGNC’s investment objective is to generate attractive monthly dividends and long-term capital appreciation for its shareholders.

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, AGNC focuses exclusively on U.S.