Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 11,250,000 shares, a drop of 22.6% from the February 13th total of 14,540,000 shares. Currently, 2.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 7,610,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Annaly Capital Management

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in Annaly Capital Management by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 980,636 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $17,946,000 after purchasing an additional 153,940 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Annaly Capital Management by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 48,688 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $891,000 after purchasing an additional 7,428 shares during the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH bought a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,251,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 26,245 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $497,000 after acquiring an additional 5,570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $91,000. 51.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE:NLY traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $21.95. 585,565 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,178,521. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $20.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.99. The company has a market cap of $12.69 billion, a PE ratio of 13.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.53. Annaly Capital Management has a 12-month low of $17.67 and a 12-month high of $22.11.

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

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.76%. Annaly Capital Management’s payout ratio is presently 176.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NLY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.44.

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.