Franklin Resources Inc. Acquires 94,290 Shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) by 102.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 186,329 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 94,290 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $3,410,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NLY. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new position in Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 78.5% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Annaly Capital Management by 34.4% during 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 lifted its position 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 valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 65.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,598 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on NLY shares. Barclays initiated coverage on Annaly Capital Management in a report on Monday, January 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $20.15 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.29.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE NLY opened at $17.49 on Friday. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $16.60 and a 12 month high of $22.11. The stock has a market cap of $10.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.00, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s 50 day moving average is $20.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.91.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last released its 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 16.01%. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio is 176.10%.

Annaly Capital Management Company Profile

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.