Two Harbors Investments (NYSE:TWO) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Strong Sell”

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Two Harbors Investments (NYSE:TWO) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Maxim Group downgraded shares of Two Harbors Investments from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Two Harbors Investments in a report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Two Harbors Investments from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Two Harbors Investments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of Two Harbors Investments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $11.00 to $14.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $12.46.

Two Harbors Investments Stock Up 0.8%

TWO stock opened at $13.71 on Tuesday. Two Harbors Investments has a 1-year low of $9.30 and a 1-year high of $14.28. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $11.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.48 and a beta of 1.19.

Two Harbors Investments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 5th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 5th. Two Harbors Investments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -54.40%.

Insider Activity at Two Harbors Investments

In other Two Harbors Investments news, CFO William Dellal sold 7,087 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.44, for a total transaction of $81,075.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 36,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $419,882.32. This represents a 16.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CIO Nicholas Letica sold 55,488 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.42, for a total transaction of $633,672.96. Following the transaction, the executive owned 166,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,901,509.94. This trade represents a 25.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 129,389 shares of company stock valued at $1,483,046 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Two Harbors Investments

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TWO. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Two Harbors Investments in the third quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Two Harbors Investments by 695.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,421 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 2,991 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in shares of Two Harbors Investments by 240.4% during the second quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 3,370 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,380 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in Two Harbors Investments in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Two Harbors Investments by 456.0% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,465 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 4,482 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.19% of the company’s stock.

Two Harbors Investments Company Profile

Two Harbors Investments Corp. is a mortgage real estate investment trust (mREIT) that primarily invests in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) issued or guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises, as well as non-agency residential mortgage loans, mortgage servicing rights and credit risk transfer securities. The company seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for its shareholders by employing leverage to enhance net interest income derived from its portfolio of high-quality fixed-income assets.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Two Harbors operates through a self-managed platform that combines portfolio management, risk-management and securitization expertise.