21,569 Shares in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Acquired by GWN Securities Inc.

GWN Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 21,569 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $420,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 209.9% in the third quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,255 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,630 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 29.3% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE NLY opened at $21.63 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.96. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.67 and a 1-year high of $22.11. The firm has a market cap of $12.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.53.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts forecast that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.94%. This is an increase from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 163.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays assumed coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.44.

Annaly Capital Management Company 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.