AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $10.89 and last traded at $10.8750, with a volume of 111233 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.84.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jones Trading reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $10.00 target price on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of AGNC Investment from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on AGNC Investment from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on AGNC Investment from $9.50 to $9.75 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AGNC Investment has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $10.39.

AGNC Investment Trading Up 0.3%

The firm has a market capitalization of $11.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.23 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $10.32 and a 200-day moving average of $9.89.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.03). AGNC Investment had a return on equity of 18.84% and a net margin of 24.40%.The business had revenue of $836.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.39 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. AGNC Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 214.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AGNC Investment news, CEO Peter J. Federico sold 45,798 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.27, for a total value of $470,345.46. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,557,401 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,994,508.27. This represents a 2.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AGNC Investment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Red Tortoise LLC grew its position in shares of AGNC Investment by 377.4% in the 2nd quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 2,764 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 2,185 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. WealthCollab LLC purchased a new stake in AGNC Investment during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 100.9% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,365 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,690 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its holdings in AGNC Investment by 1,003.0% in the second quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 3,629 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. 38.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AGNC Investment Company Profile

AGNC Investment Corp. is a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily acquires and manages a portfolio of residential mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored enterprises such as Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The company employs a leveraged total return strategy, borrowing against its securities to enhance income potential while using interest rate hedges to manage risk. AGNC’s investment objective is to generate attractive monthly dividends and long-term capital appreciation for its shareholders.

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, AGNC focuses exclusively on U.S.