Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System decreased its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 802,027 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 28,590 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.14% of Annaly Capital Management worth $14,677,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new position in Annaly Capital Management during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 34.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 549 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in 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 worth $45,000 after buying an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Annaly Capital Management by 65.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,598 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,030 shares during the period. 51.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Down 4.2 %

Shares of NLY stock opened at $18.82 on Friday. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.67 and a twelve month high of $22.11. The company has a market capitalization of $10.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.83, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $21.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.04.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, research analysts predict that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $0.70 dividend. This is a positive change from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.88%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 176.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays began coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.44.

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.