Russell Investments Group Ltd. Raises Holdings in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY - Free Report) by 66.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,774 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 52,768 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $2,626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Selway Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Central Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new position in Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its position in Annaly Capital Management by 470.8% in the fourth quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 2,403 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,982 shares in the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $21.50 price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Jonestrading reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $21.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Annaly Capital Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Compass Point initiated coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.08.

Annaly Capital Management Price Performance

Shares of Annaly Capital Management stock traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $20.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,290,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,547,192. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $19.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.86. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a one year low of $14.52 and a one year high of $21.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market cap of $10.09 billion, a P/E ratio of -20.55 and a beta of 1.54.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64. Annaly Capital Management had a negative net margin of 8.38% and a positive return on equity of 15.13%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $320.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.81 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.62 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 28th were issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.90%. Annaly Capital Management's payout ratio is -268.04%.

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.