Townsquare Capital LLC Raises Position in AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC)

Key Points

• Townsquare Capital LLC increased its stake in AGNC Investment Corp. by 227.5%, owning approximately 0.06% of the company worth $5.6 million after acquiring an additional 408,182 shares.
• The company recently announced a monthly dividend of $0.12 per share, with an annualized yield of 15.2%, although its dividend payout ratio stands at an unusually high 423.53%.
• AGNC Investment's stock has seen price targets adjusted by various analysts, with the consensus target now set at $9.58, and a current average rating of "Hold."

Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC - Free Report) by 227.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 587,625 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 408,182 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC owned approximately 0.06% of AGNC Investment worth $5,629,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farringdon Capital Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment during the 4th quarter worth $639,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 96.4% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,113 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,014,000 after buying an additional 54,049 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 33,398 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 3,081 shares during the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 19,991 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $192,000 after buying an additional 2,465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment during the 1st quarter worth $1,240,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 38.28% of the company's stock.

AGNC Investment Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ AGNC opened at $9.45 on Friday. AGNC Investment Corp. has a 12-month low of $7.85 and a 12-month high of $10.85. The company has a market cap of $9.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.79 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $9.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.45.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.04). AGNC Investment had a net margin of 11.50% and a return on equity of 19.32%. The company had revenue of $830.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.37 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.53 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 15.2%. AGNC Investment's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 423.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded AGNC Investment from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on AGNC Investment from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Jones Trading restated a "buy" rating and set a $9.50 price objective on shares of AGNC Investment in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on AGNC Investment from $9.50 to $8.50 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on AGNC Investment from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $9.58.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Paul E. Mullings sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.61, for a total transaction of $105,710.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 128,511 shares in the company, valued at $1,234,990.71. This trade represents a 7.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John D. Fisk sold 20,278 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.65, for a total value of $195,682.70. Following the sale, the director owned 112,685 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,087,410.25. This represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AGNC Investment Profile

AGNC Investment Corp., formerly American Capital Agency Corp., is a real estate investment trust. The Company invests in agency residential mortgage-backed securities on a leveraged basis. Its investments consist of residential mortgage pass-through securities and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) for which the principal and interest payments are guaranteed by a government-sponsored enterprise, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), or by the United States Government agency, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) (collectively, GSEs).

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