Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $2.72 Million in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 140,500 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $2,721,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NLY. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Annaly Capital Management by 24.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 381,525 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,828,000 after purchasing an additional 73,892 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Annaly Capital Management in the 1st quarter worth $199,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,185,123 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $8,343,000 after buying an additional 37,762 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 97,368 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $685,000 after buying an additional 6,043 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. acquired a new position in Annaly Capital Management in the 1st quarter worth $163,000. 51.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of Annaly Capital Management stock traded down $0.31 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $17.71. The company had a trading volume of 3,376,050 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,635,236. The company has a market cap of $8.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.91 and a beta of 1.54. The firm's fifty day moving average is $19.16 and its 200-day moving average is $18.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.52 and a fifty-two week high of $21.07.

Annaly Capital Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. Annaly Capital Management's dividend payout ratio is presently -72.02%.

Insider Activity at Annaly Capital Management

In related news, CEO David L. Finkelstein sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.03, for a total transaction of $951,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 662,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,606,785.07. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NLY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jonestrading boosted their price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $21.50 price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Annaly Capital Management from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.19.

Annaly Capital Management 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.