Icon Advisers Inc. Co. Buys New Stake in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Icon Advisers Inc. Co. purchased a new stake in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 317,277 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $5,806,000. Annaly Capital Management comprises about 1.3% of Icon Advisers Inc. Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Icon Advisers Inc. Co. owned approximately 0.06% of Annaly Capital Management as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Assetmark Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,630 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Annaly Capital Management by 34.4% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,143 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 549 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,425 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 65.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,598 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,030 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.56% of the company's stock.

Annaly Capital Management Price Performance

Annaly Capital Management stock traded up $0.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $17.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,901,621 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,961,030. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.60 and a 52-week high of $22.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.25, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $20.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.83.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.05. Annaly Capital Management had a net margin of 20.70% and a return on equity of 14.95%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 15.65%. This is a boost from Annaly Capital Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Annaly Capital Management's payout ratio is currently 176.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NLY. Barclays initiated coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $19.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $20.15 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. 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. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.07.

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.