First Trust Advisors LP Purchases 698,643 Shares of Annaly Capital Management Inc $NLY

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Annaly Capital Management Inc (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) by 102.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,377,674 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 698,643 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.19% of Annaly Capital Management worth $29,138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NLY. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 76.9% during the fourth quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC now owns 1,150 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 585.6% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,330 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,136 shares during the period. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 361.3% during the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,504 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 51.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on NLY. JonesTrading reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. BTIG Research set a $24.00 price objective on Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Annaly Capital Management from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $24.33.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NLY opened at $23.20 on Wednesday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $22.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.81, a P/E/G ratio of 6.68 and a beta of 1.16. Annaly Capital Management Inc has a 12-month low of $20.00 and a 12-month high of $24.52.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.04. Annaly Capital Management had a return on equity of 16.00% and a net margin of 43.66%.The company had revenue of $892.86 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.80 million. Equities research analysts expect that Annaly Capital Management Inc will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.9%. This is an increase from Annaly Capital Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 75.19%.

Annaly Capital Management Profile

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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