Forsta AP Fonden Sells 72,300 Shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Forsta AP Fonden cut its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) by 20.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 274,500 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 72,300 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $5,023,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NLY. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 209.9% during 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. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 70.2% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,568 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 647 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% in the 4th 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. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the second quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 31.8% during the third quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 2,390 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE NLY opened at $20.39 on Friday. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.67 and a twelve month high of $21.11. The company’s fifty day moving average is $19.29 and its 200-day moving average is $19.70. The stock has a market cap of $11.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.82 and a beta of 1.51.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.05. Annaly Capital Management had a return on equity of 15.30% and a net margin of 20.70%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Annaly Capital Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.75%. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 163.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays started coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 price objective for the company. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Argus upgraded Annaly Capital Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.44.

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.