Barclays PLC Sells 15,017 Shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Barclays PLC cut its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 583,934 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 15,017 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.10% of Annaly Capital Management worth $10,687,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 93.1% during the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 275,559 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $5,043,000 after purchasing an additional 132,891 shares in the last quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. bought a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $527,000. Tandem Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $327,000. Wernau Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,612,278 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $66,105,000 after acquiring an additional 393,581 shares in the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Price Performance

Shares of Annaly Capital Management stock traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $19.47. 6,728,802 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,024,914. The firm has a market cap of $11.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.25, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $16.60 and a 52 week high of $22.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.80.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Annaly Capital Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 176.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays assumed coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $19.00 price objective 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, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut 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. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, February 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.08.

Annaly Capital Management 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.