Annaly Capital Management Inc $NLY Holdings Boosted by Sage Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Sage Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Annaly by 63.9% to 320,533 shares (about $7.17M), and institutional investors now own roughly 51.56% of the company's stock.
• Annaly announced a quarterly dividend of $0.70 (annualized $2.80), implying a 13.3% yield with a payout ratio of ~100.72%, and insiders have sold 71,252 shares (≈$1.64M) over the past 90 days.
• Several analysts raised price targets to $25 and MarketBeat's consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $24.11 target, after Annaly slightly beat Q4 EPS estimates ($0.74 vs. $0.72).

Sage Advisors LLC raised its position in Annaly Capital Management Inc (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) by 63.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 320,533 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 124,987 shares during the quarter. Annaly Capital Management comprises about 4.8% of Sage Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Sage Advisors LLC's holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $7,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Summit Global Investments raised its position in Annaly Capital Management by 332.3% in the third quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 59,797 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,209,000 after acquiring an additional 45,966 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 523,277 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $10,947,000 after purchasing an additional 60,814 shares in the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd boosted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 124.8% during the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 159,118 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,216,000 after purchasing an additional 88,341 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 73.9% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 270,482 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $5,680,000 after purchasing an additional 114,946 shares during the period. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 2nd quarter valued at about $429,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Steven Francis Campbell sold 26,491 shares of Annaly Capital Management stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.83, for a total transaction of $604,789.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 178,000 shares in the company, valued at $4,063,740. The trade was a 12.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Serena Wolfe sold 16,536 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.14, for a total transaction of $382,643.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 173,081 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,005,094.34. This represents a 8.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 71,252 shares of company stock worth $1,639,995 over the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NLY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. JonesTrading increased their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $23.25 to $25.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. BTIG Research upgraded shares of Annaly Capital Management from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $25.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $25.00 price target (up from $23.00) on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Annaly Capital Management has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.11.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Down 1.8%

NYSE NLY opened at $21.03 on Friday. Annaly Capital Management Inc has a fifty-two week low of $16.59 and a fifty-two week high of $24.52. The stock has a market cap of $15.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.58 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a fifty day moving average of $22.83 and a 200-day moving average of $22.22.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $567.67 million. Annaly Capital Management had a return on equity of 15.80% and a net margin of 34.02%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Annaly Capital Management Inc will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio is 100.72%.

About Annaly Capital Management

Annaly Capital Management, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in generating income through investment in mortgage-related assets. The company's core business activities include the acquisition, financing, and management of a diversified portfolio of agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), and other real estate debt instruments. Annaly seeks to profit from the spread between the interest earned on its mortgage investments and its cost of funds, as well as from capital gains realized through active portfolio management.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in New York City, Annaly has grown to become one of the largest mortgage REITs in the United States.

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