Annaly Capital Management Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:NLY)

Annaly Capital Management Inc (NYSE:NLY) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors bought 36,494 call options on the company. This is an increase of 92% compared to the typical volume of 19,043 call options.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Up 2.2%

NYSE:NLY traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $22.68. 4,615,295 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,252,917. The company has a market cap of $16.29 billion, a PE ratio of 8.16, a PEG ratio of 6.89 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.20. Annaly Capital Management has a one year low of $16.59 and a one year high of $24.52.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $567.67 million. Annaly Capital Management had a net margin of 34.02% and a return on equity of 15.80%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Annaly Capital Management will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Annaly Capital Management’s payout ratio is presently 100.72%.

Insider Transactions at Annaly Capital Management

In related news, COO Steven Francis Campbell sold 26,491 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,063,740. This represents a 12.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Serena Wolfe sold 16,536 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.14, for a total value of $382,643.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 173,081 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,005,094.34. The trade was a 8.72% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 71,252 shares of company stock valued at $1,639,995 over the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Annaly Capital Management

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NLY. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in Annaly Capital Management in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC now owns 1,150 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 51.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on NLY. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $25.00 price target (up from $23.00) on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $23.25 to $25.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. JonesTrading lifted their price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $25.00 target price (up from $23.50) on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $24.11.

Annaly Capital Management Company Profile

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.