Welch Group LLC Makes New Investment in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Welch Group LLC bought a new position in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 14,473 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $299,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NLY. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new position in Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter worth $671,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 153,738 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,813,000 after acquiring an additional 18,541 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 50.3% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 8,814 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $161,000 after acquiring an additional 2,949 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $102,000. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 13,137 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 876 shares in the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Up 1.7%

NLY stock traded up $0.31 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $19.00. 4,244,468 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,473,117. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.35 billion, a PE ratio of 11.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.25. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.60 and a 1-year high of $22.11.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.01. Annaly Capital Management had a return on equity of 14.95% and a net margin of 20.70%. The business had revenue of $186.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $418.04 million. Equities research analysts expect that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Annaly Capital Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 314.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Jones Trading restated a "buy" rating and issued a $21.00 price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $20.15 to $20.50 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $21.50 to $21.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.00.

Annaly Capital Management Company Profile

Annaly Capital Management, Inc, a diversified capital manager, engages in mortgage finance. The company invests in agency mortgage-backed securities collateralized by residential mortgages; non-agency residential whole loans and securitized products within the residential and commercial markets; mortgage servicing rights; agency commercial mortgage-backed securities; to-be-announced forward contracts; residential mortgage loans; and agency or private label credit risk transfer securities.