HighTower Advisors LLC Buys 60,995 Shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) by 87.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 130,874 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 60,995 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $2,395,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew 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 buying an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. bought a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 34.4% in the 4th 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 raised its position in Annaly Capital Management by 29.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Down 0.3 %

NLY opened at $21.70 on Friday. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.67 and a twelve month high of $22.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $20.75 and a 200-day moving average of $20.02. The stock has a market cap of $12.55 billion, a PE ratio of 13.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.53.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.05. Annaly Capital Management had a return on equity of 14.95% and a net margin of 20.70%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.91%. This is a boost from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 176.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NLY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 price target for the company. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Annaly Capital Management has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.44.

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.