AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Shares Down 2.4% Following Insider Selling

Key Points

• AGNC Investment shares fell 2.4% to $10.66 after EVP Bernice Bell sold 5,000 shares for approximately $55,000, reducing her ownership by 1.21%.
• Analysts have taken a cautious view, with several cutting price targets or downgrading the stock. AGNC has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $11.11.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.40, beating estimates of $0.38, and declared a monthly $0.12 dividend, representing an annualized yield of about 13.5%.

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report)'s share price was down 2.4% on Friday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $10.62 and last traded at $10.66. 19,178,950 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 2% from the average daily volume of 18,826,717 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.92.

Specifically, EVP Bernice Bell sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.00, for a total value of $55,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 406,947 shares in the company, valued at $4,476,417. This represents a 1.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on AGNC Investment from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised AGNC Investment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Compass Point downgraded AGNC Investment from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $11.50 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on AGNC Investment from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AGNC Investment has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $11.11.

AGNC Investment Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $12.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 1.31. The firm's fifty day moving average is $10.66 and its 200-day moving average is $10.81.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.02. AGNC Investment had a return on equity of 18.20% and a net margin of 57.94%.The firm had revenue of $305.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.17) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

AGNC Investment Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 13.5%. AGNC Investment's payout ratio is 75.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AGNC Investment

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AGNC. Avion Wealth increased its stake in shares of AGNC Investment by 286.3% in the 1st quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 2,727 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 2,021 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in AGNC Investment by 61.1% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,762 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in AGNC Investment during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in AGNC Investment by 100.9% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,365 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,690 shares during the period. Finally, WealthCollab LLC acquired a new stake in AGNC Investment in the third quarter worth $33,000. 38.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AGNC Investment

AGNC Investment Corp. is a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily acquires and manages a portfolio of residential mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored enterprises such as Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The company employs a leveraged total return strategy, borrowing against its securities to enhance income potential while using interest rate hedges to manage risk. AGNC's investment objective is to generate attractive monthly dividends and long-term capital appreciation for its shareholders.

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, AGNC focuses exclusively on U.S.

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