Annaly Capital Management Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:NLY)

Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock traders bought 47,277 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 428% compared to the typical daily volume of 8,955 call options.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of Annaly Capital Management stock traded down $0.44 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $20.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 12,390,336 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,476,095. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.99, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.53. Annaly Capital Management has a 1-year low of $17.67 and a 1-year high of $22.11. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.06.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Annaly Capital Management will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.56%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 176.10%.

Institutional Trading of Annaly Capital Management

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of NLY. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 48,365 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $971,000 after purchasing an additional 6,469 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in Annaly Capital Management by 22.6% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 652,255 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $13,091,000 after acquiring an additional 120,163 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 58.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 34,996 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $702,000 after acquiring an additional 12,952 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 37,413 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $751,000 after acquiring an additional 2,700 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance increased its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 57.8% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 19,084 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $383,000 after purchasing an additional 6,989 shares during the period. 51.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.