Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Stock Price

Key Points

• Wells Fargo cut its price target on AGNC Investment from $12.00 to $11.00 while keeping an overweight rating, implying modest upside from the stock’s prior close.
• AGNC shares were down about 0.6% and opened at $10.72. The stock is trading near its moving averages, with a 52-week range of $9.31 to $12.19.
• AGNC recently reported $0.40 EPS, beating analyst estimates by $0.02, though revenue of $305 million came in well below consensus. Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $11.11.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $12.00 to $11.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the real estate investment trust's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's target price points to a potential upside of 2.61% from the company's previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $12.00 price objective on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded AGNC Investment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $11.50 price target (up from $11.00) on shares of AGNC Investment in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Compass Point downgraded shares of AGNC Investment from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $11.50 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $11.11.

AGNC Investment Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of AGNC opened at $10.72 on Thursday. The business's 50 day moving average is $10.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.82. The firm has a market cap of $12.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.31. AGNC Investment has a 52-week low of $9.31 and a 52-week high of $12.19.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $305.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. AGNC Investment had a return on equity of 18.20% and a net margin of 57.94%.During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.17) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that AGNC Investment will post 1.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AGNC Investment

In other AGNC Investment news, Director Donna Blank sold 22,000 shares of AGNC Investment stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.78, for a total transaction of $237,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 96,471 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,039,957.38. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Peter J. Federico sold 64,412 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.08, for a total transaction of $713,684.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,927,083 shares in the company, valued at $21,352,079.64. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 215,234 shares of company stock worth $2,364,022. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AGNC Investment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in AGNC Investment by 51.9% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 64,100 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $614,000 after acquiring an additional 21,897 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in AGNC Investment by 38.4% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 24,941 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 6,923 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of AGNC Investment by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,811,782 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $26,937,000 after purchasing an additional 387,524 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of AGNC Investment by 57.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 37,642 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 13,793 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,494,606 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $22,925,000 after purchasing an additional 203,610 shares in the last quarter. 38.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AGNC Investment

AGNC Investment Corp. is a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily acquires and manages a portfolio of residential mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored enterprises such as Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The company employs a leveraged total return strategy, borrowing against its securities to enhance income potential while using interest rate hedges to manage risk. AGNC's investment objective is to generate attractive monthly dividends and long-term capital appreciation for its shareholders.

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, AGNC focuses exclusively on U.S.

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