Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Raises Stock Holdings in Annaly Capital Management Inc $NLY

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its Annaly Capital Management stake by 20% in the first quarter, holding 750,640 shares worth about $15.96 million.
• Several analysts remain positive on NLY, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $24.67; JPMorgan recently raised its target to $26 and kept an overweight rating.
• Annaly reported Q1 EPS of $0.76, beat estimates, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.75 per share from $0.70, implying a 13% annualized yield.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd grew its position in Annaly Capital Management Inc (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) by 20.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 750,640 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 125,040 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd owned about 0.10% of Annaly Capital Management worth $15,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of NLY. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC raised its position in Annaly Capital Management by 76.9% in the 4th quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC now owns 1,150 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Annaly Capital Management by 585.6% during the 1st 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 last quarter. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 361.3% in the fourth 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. 51.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Friday, July 10th. JonesTrading restated a "buy" rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Annaly Capital Management from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, BTIG Research set a $24.00 price objective on Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Annaly Capital Management currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.67.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Performance

NLY stock opened at $23.02 on Monday. Annaly Capital Management Inc has a one year low of $19.70 and a one year high of $24.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.87 billion, a PE ratio of 7.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.93 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.12 and a 200-day moving average of $22.46.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $341.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $595.27 million. Annaly Capital Management had a net margin of 34.33% and a return on equity of 15.92%. Equities analysts forecast that Annaly Capital Management Inc will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.0%. This is a boost from Annaly Capital Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 101.35%.

Annaly Capital Management Company 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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