Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from nine different ratings firms that are currently covering the stock. According to reports from MarketBeat.com, one analyst has rated the stock as a hold, while eight other analysts have issued buy ratings for the company. The average price target for NLY shares among the brokerages that updated their assessments over the past year stands at $21.50.

Recently, several analyst reports have focused on Annaly Capital Management. Notably, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded the stock from an "equal weight" designation to an "overweight" rating, increasing their price target from $19.00 to $23.00 in a report released on September 20th. Earlier, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target for Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $20.00 while maintaining an "overweight" rating in their December 9th report. Additionally, Argus raised its rating from "hold" to "buy," setting a price target of $21.00 in late October.

Changes Among Institutional Investors

Institutional investors and hedge funds have also been adjusting their stakes in Annaly Capital Management recently. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in the company by an impressive 209.9% in the third quarter, now owning 1,255 shares valued at approximately $25,000 following an acquisition of 850 additional shares. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings by 70.2%, owning 1,568 shares now valued at $31,000 after acquiring 647 additional shares during the same quarter. Quarry LP made a new acquisition of shares in Annaly Capital Management valued at around $36,000 in the second quarter, while Toth Financial Advisory Corp raised its stake by 31.8%, now holding 2,390 shares worth $48,000 after adding 576 shares. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC also invested in the company during the third quarter with a stake worth approximately $63,000. Presently, 51.56% of Annaly Capital Management is owned by institutional and hedge fund investors.

Current Stock Performance

As of the latest trading session, Annaly Capital Management shares opened at $18.94. The stock has shown a 50-day simple moving average of $19.51, with a broader 200-day average at $19.81. Over the past year, shares experienced a low of $17.67 and a high of $21.11. The company's market cap is currently at $10.62 billion, with a price-to-earnings ratio of -270.57 and a beta of 1.51.

On October 23rd, Annaly Capital Management released its quarterly earnings report, showing an EPS of $0.66, which fell short of analysts' consensus expectation of $0.67 by $0.01. The firm generated revenue of $1.23 billion, significantly exceeding predictions of $212.00 million. Additionally, the company boasted a return on equity of 14.75% and a net margin of 2.59%. For the fiscal year, analysts anticipate an EPS of 2.65 for Annaly Capital Management.

Dividend Information

Annaly Capital Management also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, scheduled to be paid on January 31st. This dividend will be distributed to investors holding shares as of December 31st, with the ex-dividend date set for the same day. This equates to an annual dividend of $2.60, yielding approximately 13.73%. The company's current dividend payout ratio stands at -3,714.29%.

About Annaly Capital Management

Annaly Capital Management, Inc. is a diversified capital manager focusing on mortgage finance. The company’s investments include agency mortgage-backed securities that are collateralized by residential mortgages, non-agency residential whole loans, various securitized products in both residential and commercial markets, mortgage servicing rights, agency commercial mortgage-backed securities, residential mortgage loans, and risk transfer securities.

Annaly, Investment, Analysts