AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Trading Up 1.3% – Time to Buy?
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemAGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC – Get Free Report) traded up 1.3% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $10.15 and last traded at $10.15. 12,464,201 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 44% from the average session volume of 22,357,109 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.02.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several analysts recently commented on AGNC shares. JonesTrading cut AGNC Investment from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on AGNC Investment from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Friday, March 27th. BTIG Research lowered shares of AGNC Investment from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AGNC Investment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.91.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on AGNC Investment
AGNC Investment Stock Performance
The stock has a 50-day moving average of $10.89 and a 200 day moving average of $10.60. The stock has a market cap of $11.40 billion, a PE ratio of 7.25 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.
AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.02). AGNC Investment had a net margin of 47.40% and a return on equity of 18.32%. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $354.75 million. Equities analysts predict that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.
AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.2%. AGNC Investment’s dividend payout ratio is currently 102.86%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, EVP Bernice Bell sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.14, for a total value of $303,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 491,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,969,577.92. This represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary D. Kain sold 700,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.91, for a total transaction of $8,337,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,189,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,072,073.81. This represents a 24.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 775,000 shares of company stock worth $9,246,000. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AGNC. Wealthspire Advisors LLC raised its position in AGNC Investment by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 104,287 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 907 shares during the period. Choreo LLC lifted its stake in shares of AGNC Investment by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 20,784 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $206,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 11,152 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of AGNC Investment by 61.1% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,762 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC increased its position in shares of AGNC Investment by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC now owns 18,621 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $200,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares during the last quarter. 38.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About AGNC Investment
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.