Annaly Capital Management Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:NLY)

Key Points

• Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) experienced a notable increase in options trading, with 25,918 call options traded, reflecting a 70% rise from its average daily volume.
• The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for its most recent quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $0.72, along with a revenue of $273.20 million.
• Annaly Capital Management announced a quarterly dividend of $0.70 per share, yielding 13.4%, with a payout ratio of 277.23%.

Annaly Capital Management Inc (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders acquired 25,918 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 70% compared to the typical daily volume of 15,276 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Annaly Capital Management

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 5.1% during the third quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 12,724 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 615 shares during the period. Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,514 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $516,000 after buying an additional 927 shares during the period. Accel Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Annaly Capital Management in the 3rd quarter worth about $238,000. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in Annaly Capital Management in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,270,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 55.4% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,093 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $143,000 after buying an additional 2,530 shares in the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Annaly Capital Management Price Performance

Annaly Capital Management stock traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $20.85. 522,342 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,724,973. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 1.25. Annaly Capital Management has a 12 month low of $16.59 and a 12 month high of $22.45. The business's 50-day moving average is $21.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.93.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.01. Annaly Capital Management had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.53%. The company had revenue of $273.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $237.00 million. Equities research analysts expect that Annaly Capital Management will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Annaly Capital Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio is currently 277.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on NLY. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler set a $22.50 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Jones Trading restated a "buy" rating and set a $21.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, July 24th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $20.50 to $21.50 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Annaly Capital Management presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.13.

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.

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