Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Position in Annaly Capital Management Inc $NLY

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management increased its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 21.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 112,462 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 642,707 shares worth about $14.7 million.
• Annaly Capital Management reported Q1 earnings of $0.76 per share, topping analyst expectations, though revenue came in below estimates. The company also continues to pay a large quarterly dividend of $0.70 per share, equal to a 12.4% annualized yield.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 51.56%, and several analysts still view the stock favorably with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $24.22.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management Inc (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) by 21.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 642,707 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 112,462 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.09% of Annaly Capital Management worth $14,718,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NLY. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,613,639 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,422,401,000 after purchasing an additional 3,024,564 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,371,827 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $508,920,000 after buying an additional 1,687,839 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,604,380 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $133,475,000 after buying an additional 70,262 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 394.1% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 5,374,696 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $108,623,000 after buying an additional 4,286,893 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 21.4% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,662,780 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $74,025,000 after buying an additional 645,527 shares during the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Performance

Shares of NLY opened at $22.61 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $16.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.64, a PEG ratio of 6.90 and a beta of 1.20. Annaly Capital Management Inc has a fifty-two week low of $18.43 and a fifty-two week high of $24.52. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $22.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $22.43.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.02. The company 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Annaly Capital Management Inc will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 94.59%.

Insider Transactions at Annaly Capital Management

In other news, CFO Serena Wolfe sold 16,536 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.14, for a total value of $382,643.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 173,081 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,005,094.34. The trade was a 8.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Steven Francis Campbell sold 28,225 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.12, for a total value of $652,562.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 204,491 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,727,831.92. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 71,252 shares of company stock worth $1,639,995 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Annaly Capital Management from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Annaly Capital Management from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $25.00 price objective (up from $23.00) on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Annaly Capital Management has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.22.

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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