Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Decreases Stock Holdings in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 258,310 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 22,065 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $4,727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NLY. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 209.9% in the third 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 during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new stake in Annaly Capital Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 34.4% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,143 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays started coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Three research 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.44.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Down 0.3 %

NLY stock opened at $21.63 on Tuesday. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.67 and a 52-week high of $22.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $20.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.03. The stock has a market cap of $12.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.53.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.95%. This is a boost from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Annaly Capital Management’s payout ratio is presently 176.10%.

About Annaly Capital Management

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.