Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Shares Sold by DnB Asset Management AS

DnB Asset Management AS cut its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 98,523 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 1,216 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $1,803,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,630 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,143 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Annaly Capital Management by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 65.7% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,598 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the period. 51.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NLY. Barclays started coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, January 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Annaly Capital Management has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.44.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of Annaly Capital Management stock opened at $20.08 on Wednesday. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.67 and a twelve month high of $22.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.61 billion, a PE ratio of 12.63, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $21.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.05.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 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, sell-side analysts predict that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.95%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Annaly Capital Management’s payout ratio is 176.10%.

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.