Mariner LLC Sells 18,451 Shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Mariner LLC lowered its holdings in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) by 14.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 111,094 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 18,451 shares during the period. Mariner LLC's holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $2,033,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Savvy Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 37,640 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $689,000 after purchasing an additional 1,492 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 112,275 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,055,000 after buying an additional 9,486 shares during the last quarter. Seeds Investor LLC acquired a new position in Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter valued at $186,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 74.6% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 33,303 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $609,000 after acquiring an additional 14,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 246,461 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,510,000 after buying an additional 27,810 shares in the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:NLY traded up $0.18 on Tuesday, reaching $19.67. 1,223,543 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,007,192. 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 $11.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $20.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.80.

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

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.24%. This is an increase from Annaly Capital Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Annaly Capital Management's payout ratio is presently 176.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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. Barclays initiated coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $19.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $22.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Annaly Capital Management currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.08.

About Annaly Capital Management

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.