AGNC Investment Corp. $AGNC Shares Bought by Icon Advisers Inc. Co.

Key Points

• Icon Advisers Inc. Co. dramatically increased its AGNC Investment stake by 679.4% in the first quarter, ending with 604,131 shares worth about $6.1 million. The stock now ranks as the fund’s 14th-largest holding.
• AGNC Investment recently reported Q2 earnings of $0.40 per share, topping analyst estimates, and it also highlighted improving book value and net interest income. However, revenue came in below expectations, and analysts still see mixed near-term upside.
• The company announced a monthly dividend of $0.12 per share, implying an annualized yield of 13.4%. At the same time, several insiders sold shares, and Wall Street sentiment remains cautious with a consensus rating of Hold.

Icon Advisers Inc. Co. lifted its position in shares of AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC - Free Report) by 679.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 604,131 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 526,618 shares during the period. AGNC Investment accounts for 1.4% of Icon Advisers Inc. Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Icon Advisers Inc. Co. owned about 0.05% of AGNC Investment worth $6,059,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of AGNC. Avion Wealth boosted its stake in AGNC Investment by 286.3% during the 1st quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 2,727 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 2,021 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of AGNC Investment by 61.1% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,762 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 100.9% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,365 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WealthCollab LLC bought a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 38.28% of the company's stock.

AGNC Investment Trading Down 0.6%

AGNC stock opened at $10.72 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $10.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.82. The company has a market capitalization of $12.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.31. AGNC Investment Corp. has a 52 week low of $9.31 and a 52 week high of $12.19.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.02. AGNC Investment had a net margin of 57.94% and a return on equity of 18.20%. The business had revenue of $305.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.17) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.58 earnings per share for the current year.

AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. AGNC Investment's dividend payout ratio is 75.79%.

More AGNC Investment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AGNC Investment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AGNC’s Q2 results beat earnings expectations, with improved year-over-year book value and higher net interest income, which supports the case for continued dividend coverage and portfolio strength.
• Positive Sentiment: Management said Agency MBS supply-demand conditions are improving and highlighted opportunities to add higher-coupon assets, suggesting better spread and return potential despite rate volatility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: AGNC marked its 75th consecutive monthly dividend, reinforcing its appeal for income-focused investors looking for a high-yield monthly payer. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on AGNC’s dividend profile and earnings-call highlights, which may keep income investors interested but do not appear to add materially new information beyond the Q2 release.
• Negative Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered its price target on AGNC to $11 from $12 and kept a “market perform” rating, signaling limited near-term upside. Read More: Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, the stock was pressured by rising funding costs and prepayment concerns, which can weigh on mortgage REIT profitability and book value performance. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Peter J. Federico sold 64,412 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.08, for a total value of $713,684.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,927,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,352,079.64. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Donna Blank sold 22,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.78, for a total value of $237,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 96,471 shares in the company, valued at $1,039,957.38. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 215,234 shares of company stock valued at $2,364,022. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AGNC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on AGNC Investment from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $11.50 target price (up from $11.00) on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $12.00 price target on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on AGNC Investment from $11.50 to $12.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AGNC Investment currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $11.22.

AGNC Investment Company Profile

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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