Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Boosts Stock Position in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 216,972 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,219 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $4,203,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Selway Asset Management purchased a new position in Annaly Capital Management in the third quarter worth $26,000. Central Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new position in Annaly Capital Management in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 470.8% during the 4th quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 2,403 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,982 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Annaly Capital Management

In other Annaly Capital Management news, CEO David L. Finkelstein sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.03, for a total value of $951,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 662,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,606,785.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NLY shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $21.50 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Compass Point started coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. Jonestrading upped their price target on Annaly Capital Management from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Annaly Capital Management from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.07.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Performance

Shares of NLY opened at $18.57 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $19.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.14 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.52 and a 52-week high of $21.07.

Annaly Capital Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.00%. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently -72.02%.

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.