Plato Investment Management Ltd Trims Stock Position in Annaly Capital Management Inc $NLY

Plato Investment Management Ltd cut its stake in Annaly Capital Management Inc (NYSE:NLY) by 72.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,891 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 29,146 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Annaly Capital Management by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 24,513 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 1.8% in the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 27,309 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $552,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 41.6% in the third quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,688 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 1.4% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 39,282 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $794,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 3.4% in the second quarter. Jupiter Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,621 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 551 shares during the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Price Performance

NLY stock opened at $22.42 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.43 billion, a PE ratio of 7.58, a P/E/G ratio of 6.90 and a beta of 1.20. Annaly Capital Management Inc has a 12 month low of $18.43 and a 12 month high of $24.52.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $341.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $595.27 million. Annaly Capital Management had a net margin of 34.33% and a return on equity of 15.92%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Annaly Capital Management Inc will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.5%. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NLY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. JonesTrading reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $23.25 to $25.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.22.

Insider Activity at Annaly Capital Management

In related news, CFO Serena Wolfe sold 16,536 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.14, for a total transaction of $382,643.04. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 173,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,005,094.34. This represents a 8.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Steven Francis Campbell sold 26,491 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.83, for a total transaction of $604,789.53. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 178,000 shares in the company, valued at $4,063,740. The trade was a 12.95% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 71,252 shares of company stock worth $1,639,995 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

About Annaly Capital Management

Annaly Capital Management, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in generating income through investment in mortgage-related assets. The company’s core business activities include the acquisition, financing, and management of a diversified portfolio of agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), and other real estate debt instruments. Annaly seeks to profit from the spread between the interest earned on its mortgage investments and its cost of funds, as well as from capital gains realized through active portfolio management.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in New York City, Annaly has grown to become one of the largest mortgage REITs in the United States.