AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Trading 1.6% Higher Following Dividend Announcement

Shares of AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) were up 1.6% during trading on Thursday after the company announced a dividend. The company traded as high as $8.86 and last traded at $8.86. Approximately 4,982,527 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 19,617,108 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.72.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 16.2%. AGNC Investment’s payout ratio is 360.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on AGNC Investment from $10.75 to $10.25 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on AGNC Investment from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of AGNC Investment from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have given 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 price target of $9.96.

AGNC Investment Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.23. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $9.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.06 and a beta of 1.30.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $846.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $436.71 million. AGNC Investment had a return on equity of 21.92% and a net margin of 29.26%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.58 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AGNC Investment

In related news, EVP Kenneth L. Pollack sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.03, for a total value of $158,025.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 447,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,044,004.23. This trade represents a 3.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bernice Bell sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.88, for a total transaction of $71,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 374,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,321,288.72. This trade represents a 2.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 139,384 shares of company stock worth $1,228,039 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AGNC Investment

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in AGNC Investment during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of AGNC Investment in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in shares of AGNC Investment by 112.7% during the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,458 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in AGNC Investment by 326.3% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,291 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 38.28% of the company’s stock.

About AGNC Investment

AGNC Investment Corp., formerly American Capital Agency Corp., is a real estate investment trust. The Company invests in agency residential mortgage-backed securities on a leveraged basis. Its investments consist of residential mortgage pass-through securities and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) for which the principal and interest payments are guaranteed by a government-sponsored enterprise, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), or by the United States Government agency, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) (collectively, GSEs).