Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 1,304,782 Shares of AGNC Investment Corp. $AGNC

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake in AGNC by 1.4% in Q4, buying 1,304,782 shares to own 97,745,127 shares (about 9.11% of the company) valued at roughly $1.048 billion.
• AGNC announced a monthly dividend of $0.12 per share (ex-dividend April 30, payable May 11), implying a 13.2% yield and a payout ratio of 119.01%.
• The REIT topped estimates for the quarter, reporting $0.42 EPS versus a $0.36 consensus and revenue of $1.05 billion versus $411.6 million expected, while analysts' consensus rating remains a "Hold" with an average target of $11.06.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 97,745,127 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 1,304,782 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.11% of AGNC Investment worth $1,047,828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new stake in AGNC Investment in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in AGNC Investment in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AGNC Investment in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in AGNC Investment by 110.7% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 3,251 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,708 shares during the period. 38.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AGNC Investment Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AGNC opened at $10.94 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $10.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.71. The company has a market cap of $12.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.04 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.21. AGNC Investment Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $8.61 and a fifty-two week high of $12.19.

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

AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. AGNC Investment's dividend payout ratio is presently 119.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AGNC Investment

In related news, CEO Peter J. Federico sold 64,412 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.08, for a total transaction of $713,684.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,927,083 shares in the company, valued at $21,352,079.64. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 193,234 shares of company stock worth $2,126,862. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on AGNC shares. BTIG Research downgraded AGNC Investment from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group boosted their price target on AGNC Investment from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on AGNC Investment from $12.50 to $10.50 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded AGNC Investment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $12.00 target price (up from $11.00) on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, AGNC Investment currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $11.06.

AGNC Investment Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.