Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Stock Holdings Lowered by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc reduced its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) by 23.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,370,714 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 746,231 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.42% of Annaly Capital Management worth $43,384,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. grew its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 53,040 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $971,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC increased its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC now owns 41,268 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $755,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. LVZ Inc. raised its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. LVZ Inc. now owns 19,632 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $359,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 29.3% during 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 buying an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,143 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $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 Stock Performance

Shares of Annaly Capital Management stock traded up $0.27 during trading on Friday, hitting $17.90. 6,901,621 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,947,366. The stock's fifty day moving average is $20.52 and its 200 day moving average is $19.84. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $16.60 and a 12 month high of $22.11. The stock has a market cap of $10.69 billion, a PE ratio of 11.25, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.05. Annaly Capital Management had a net margin of 20.70% and a return on equity of 14.95%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Annaly Capital Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 176.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Annaly Capital Management Company Profile

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.