UBS Group AG Sells 2,206,695 Shares of AGNC Investment Corp. $AGNC

Key Points

• UBS Group AG cut its position in AGNC by 18.6%$103.5 million (≈0.90% ownership).
• AGNC announced a $0.12 monthly dividend (ex-dividend April 30), implying an annualized yield of 13.2% with a payout ratio of roughly 119%, which may raise sustainability concerns.
• Recent quarter results beat expectations with EPS of $0.42 vs. $0.36 expected and revenue of $1.05 billion, though analysts' consensus remains a "Hold" with an average target of $11.06.

UBS Group AG lessened its position in AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC - Free Report) by 18.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,656,331 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 2,206,695 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned 0.90% of AGNC Investment worth $103,516,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AGNC. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new stake in AGNC Investment in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in AGNC Investment in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in AGNC Investment by 61.1% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,762 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in shares of AGNC Investment by 100.9% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,365 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,690 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 38.28% of the company's stock.

AGNC Investment Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ AGNC opened at $10.94 on Friday. AGNC Investment Corp. has a 1 year low of $8.61 and a 1 year high of $12.19. The stock has a market cap of $12.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.04 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $10.59 and a 200 day moving average of $10.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $411.57 million. AGNC Investment had a net margin of 39.50% and a return on equity of 18.63%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AGNC Investment Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 13.2%. AGNC Investment's payout ratio is 119.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of AGNC Investment from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $12.00 target price on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of AGNC Investment from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of AGNC Investment from $12.50 to $10.50 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AGNC Investment currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $11.06.

Insider Transactions at AGNC Investment

In other AGNC Investment news, CEO Peter J. Federico sold 64,412 shares of AGNC Investment stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.08, for a total value of $713,684.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,927,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,352,079.64. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 193,234 shares of company stock valued at $2,126,862 over the last three months. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AGNC Investment Profile

AGNC Investment Corp. is a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily acquires and manages a portfolio of residential mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored enterprises such as Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The company employs a leveraged total return strategy, borrowing against its securities to enhance income potential while using interest rate hedges to manage risk. AGNC's investment objective is to generate attractive monthly dividends and long-term capital appreciation for its shareholders.

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, AGNC focuses exclusively on U.S.

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