SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC Reduces Stake in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY)

SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lowered its holdings in Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) by 11.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 46,570 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 5,743 shares during the quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Selway Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 1,834.5% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,683 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,596 shares during the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Annaly Capital Management during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Annaly Capital Management during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NLY has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jonestrading raised their price target on Annaly Capital Management from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating and set a $21.50 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded Annaly Capital Management from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $21.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Wednesday, December 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.07.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO David L. Finkelstein sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.03, for a total value of $951,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Annaly Capital Management Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NLY traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $19.69. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,380,883 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,670,365. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $18.71. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $14.52 and a 1-year high of $21.07.

Annaly Capital Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.20%. Annaly Capital Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently -72.02%.

Annaly Capital Management 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.