Short Interest in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Decreases By 22.6%

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

Annaly Capital Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NLY traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $21.93. 5,621,516 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,197,016. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $20.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.79, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.53. Annaly Capital Management has a one year low of $17.67 and a one year 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 EPS 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%. Equities analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This is a boost from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 176.10%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Annaly Capital Management

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NLY. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. bought a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in 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 valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in 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 valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares during the period. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. 51.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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