Annaly Capital Management Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:NLY)

Annaly Capital Management Inc (NYSE:NLY) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock traders acquired 59,400 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 533% compared to the average volume of 9,387 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on NLY shares. BTIG Research set a $24.00 target price on Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Annaly Capital Management from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.11.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Up 0.8%

NLY traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $23.14. 13,487,961 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,773,066. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.82, a P/E/G ratio of 7.01 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $22.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.45. Annaly Capital Management has a 1-year low of $18.64 and a 1-year high of $24.52.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.02. Annaly Capital Management had a net margin of 34.33% and a return on equity of 15.92%. The company had revenue of $341.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $595.27 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Annaly Capital Management will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This is a boost from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.0%. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio is 101.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Annaly Capital Management

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 111.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 56,803 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,154,000 after buying an additional 29,978 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 39.4% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 14,874 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 4,205 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 17.4% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 541,733 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $11,003,000 after acquiring an additional 80,481 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 20.8% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 17,845 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 3,074 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 833.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,920,617 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $59,318,000 after purchasing an additional 2,607,784 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.56% of the company’s stock.

Annaly Capital Management Company Profile

Annaly Capital Management, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in generating income through investment in mortgage-related assets. The company’s core business activities include the acquisition, financing, and management of a diversified portfolio of agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), and other real estate debt instruments. Annaly seeks to profit from the spread between the interest earned on its mortgage investments and its cost of funds, as well as from capital gains realized through active portfolio management.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in New York City, Annaly has grown to become one of the largest mortgage REITs in the United States.