Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Acquires Shares of 437,754 Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 437,754 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $8,170,000. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd owned approximately 0.08% of Annaly Capital Management at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NLY. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Annaly Capital Management by 209.9% in the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,255 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Annaly Capital Management by 70.2% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,568 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 647 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,630 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp raised its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 31.8% during the third quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 2,390 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE NLY traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $20.41. 2,296,185 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,568,667. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.08. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.67 and a 12 month high of $21.11. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.69. The company has a market capitalization of $11.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83 and a beta of 1.52.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.74%. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 163.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NLY. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, January 6th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $19.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Argus raised Annaly Capital Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $21.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $21.44.

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.