UBS Group AG Sells 1,638,091 Shares of Annaly Capital Management Inc $NLY

Key Points

• UBS Group AG trimmed its stake in Annaly by 44.7% in Q4, selling 1,638,091 shares and retaining 2,024,689 shares valued at about $45.27 million (≈0.30% ownership).
• Annaly declared a quarterly dividend of $0.70 (annualized $2.80), giving a yield of 12.4% with a dividend payout ratio of 94.59%.
• The REIT reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, beating estimates while revenue missed expectations, and analysts maintain a largely positive stance with a consensus target of $24.22 and multiple price-target upgrades to $25.00.

UBS Group AG trimmed its position in Annaly Capital Management Inc (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) by 44.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,024,689 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 1,638,091 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned about 0.30% of Annaly Capital Management worth $45,272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in NLY. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 41.6% in the 3rd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,688 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in Annaly Capital Management by 273.4% during the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 1,867 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,367 shares during the period. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 51.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Price Performance

NLY opened at $22.55 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $16.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.62, a PEG ratio of 6.83 and a beta of 1.20. Annaly Capital Management Inc has a 1-year low of $18.43 and a 1-year high of $24.52. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.42.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Annaly Capital Management had a net margin of 34.33% and a return on equity of 15.92%. The firm had revenue of $341.56 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $595.27 million. Equities analysts anticipate 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 issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.4%. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.59%.

Insider Transactions at Annaly Capital Management

In related news, COO Steven Francis Campbell sold 26,491 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 owned 178,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,063,740. This trade represents a 12.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Serena Wolfe sold 16,536 shares of Annaly Capital Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.14, for a total value of $382,643.04. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 173,081 shares in the company, valued at $4,005,094.34. This trade represents a 8.72% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 71,252 shares of company stock worth $1,639,995. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NLY shares. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Annaly Capital Management from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $25.00 target price (up from $23.00) on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Annaly Capital Management from $23.25 to $25.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.22.

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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