Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the ten analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $21.44.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on NLY shares. Barclays started coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Argus upgraded shares of Annaly Capital Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NLY opened at $21.24 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $11.90 billion, a PE ratio of 13.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 1.52. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.74. Annaly Capital Management has a one year low of $17.67 and a one year high of $21.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.12.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.05. Annaly Capital Management had a net margin of 20.70% and a return on equity of 14.95%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Annaly Capital Management will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.24%. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 163.52%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of NLY. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 209.9% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,630 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,143 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.56% of the company’s stock.

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.