AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Trading Up 2.3% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Shares rose about 2.3% to roughly $10.32 on Wednesday with volume ~14.4M (down ~34% vs. average), and analysts hold a consensus rating of "Hold" with a consensus target near $10.91 amid mixed price-target changes.
• AGNC declared a monthly $0.12 dividend (ex-div March 31, payable April 10), implying a roughly 14.0% yield and a payout ratio of about 102.9%.
• The REIT slightly missed quarterly EPS ($0.35 vs. $0.37 estimate) while reporting higher-than-expected revenue, and insiders sold a total of 775,000 shares (~$9.25M) over the last quarter, including sales by two EVPs.

Shares of AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report) were up 2.3% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $10.44 and last traded at $10.32. Approximately 14,431,053 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 34% from the average daily volume of 21,947,068 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.09.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AGNC shares. Barclays increased their price objective on AGNC Investment from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded AGNC Investment from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $12.00 price target (up from $11.00) on shares of AGNC Investment in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on AGNC Investment from $12.50 to $10.50 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research downgraded AGNC Investment from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.91.

AGNC Investment Price Performance

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.61. The stock has a market cap of $11.59 billion, a PE ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $354.75 million. AGNC Investment had a return on equity of 18.32% and a net margin of 47.40%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 14.0%. AGNC Investment's dividend payout ratio is presently 102.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AGNC Investment news, EVP Kenneth L. Pollack sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.11, for a total value of $605,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 552,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,688,316.67. This represents a 8.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Bernice Bell sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.14, for a total value of $303,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 491,728 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,969,577.92. The trade was a 4.84% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 775,000 shares of company stock worth $9,246,000. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of AGNC Investment by 29.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,429,581 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $14,000,000 after buying an additional 325,104 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its position in AGNC Investment by 39.4% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,311,549 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $12,840,000 after buying an additional 370,525 shares in the last quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 19.4% in the third quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 1,139,528 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $11,156,000 after acquiring an additional 184,929 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 68.2% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 370,100 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,623,000 after acquiring an additional 150,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waterfront Wealth Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 38.6% in the third quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 176,607 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,796,000 after acquiring an additional 49,219 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. 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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