Sterling Capital Management LLC Buys 14,225 Shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) by 74.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,303 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 14,225 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $609,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. grew its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 53,040 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $971,000 after buying an additional 505 shares during the period. Cannell & Spears LLC lifted its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC now owns 41,268 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $755,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. LVZ Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. LVZ Inc. now owns 19,632 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $359,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,425 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in 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 valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Up 2.6 %

NLY stock traded up $0.48 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $18.82. 2,441,492 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,973,953. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.60 and a 1-year high of $22.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.25 billion, a PE ratio of 11.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.81.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Annaly Capital Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.88%. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio is 176.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NLY has been the topic of several recent research reports. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays began coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $19.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $20.15 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.07.

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.