Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Shares Sold by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lessened its position in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) by 27.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 177,523 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 66,285 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $3,249,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 209.9% in the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,255 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,630 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 29.3% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.56% of the company’s stock.

Annaly Capital Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NLY opened at $21.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $12.51 billion, a PE ratio of 13.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.53. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.67 and a 12 month high of $22.11. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.96.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.94%. Annaly Capital Management’s payout ratio is 163.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, February 10th. 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, January 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 target price for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.