AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Rating Lowered to Sell at Wall Street Zen

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on AGNC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on AGNC Investment from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on AGNC Investment from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Jones Trading reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $10.00 price objective on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of AGNC Investment from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of AGNC Investment from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AGNC Investment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $10.39.

AGNC Investment Price Performance

AGNC opened at $10.85 on Friday. AGNC Investment has a 52-week low of $7.85 and a 52-week high of $10.93. The company has a 50 day moving average of $10.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.91. The company has a market cap of $11.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.19 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.03). AGNC Investment had a net margin of 24.40% and a return on equity of 18.84%. The business had revenue of $836.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.39 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. On average, analysts expect that AGNC Investment will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Peter J. Federico sold 45,798 shares of AGNC Investment stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.27, for a total value of $470,345.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,557,401 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,994,508.27. This trade represents a 2.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cozad Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 59.0% in the second quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 181,459 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,668,000 after purchasing an additional 67,355 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 78.0% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 3,650 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in AGNC Investment during the second quarter valued at $325,000. Delphi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in AGNC Investment during the second quarter valued at $574,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in AGNC Investment in the 2nd quarter worth about $6,170,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 38.28% of the company’s stock.

AGNC Investment Company Profile

AGNC Investment Corp. is a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily acquires and manages a portfolio of residential mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored enterprises such as Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The company employs a leveraged total return strategy, borrowing against its securities to enhance income potential while using interest rate hedges to manage risk. AGNC’s investment objective is to generate attractive monthly dividends and long-term capital appreciation for its shareholders.

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, AGNC focuses exclusively on U.S.