AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Trading Up 2.3% – Here’s What Happened

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) was up 2.3% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $10.44 and last traded at $10.32. Approximately 14,431,053 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 34% from the average daily volume of 21,947,068 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.09.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AGNC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of AGNC Investment from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of AGNC Investment from $12.50 to $10.50 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. BTIG Research downgraded shares of AGNC Investment from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $12.00 target price (up from $11.00) on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.91.

AGNC Investment Stock Up 2.3%

The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a market cap of $11.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 1.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $10.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.61.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $354.75 million. AGNC Investment had a net margin of 47.40% and a return on equity of 18.32%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

AGNC Investment Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 14.0%. AGNC Investment’s payout ratio is 102.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AGNC Investment

In other AGNC Investment news, EVP Bernice Bell sold 25,000 shares of AGNC Investment stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $5,969,577.92. The trade was a 4.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kenneth L. Pollack sold 50,000 shares of AGNC Investment stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.11, for a total value of $605,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 552,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,688,316.67. This trade represents a 8.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 775,000 shares of company stock worth $9,246,000 in the last 90 days. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of AGNC Investment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 51.9% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 64,100 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $614,000 after purchasing an additional 21,897 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 38.4% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 24,941 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 6,923 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,811,782 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,937,000 after purchasing an additional 387,524 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 36.0% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 72,009 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $680,000 after purchasing an additional 19,076 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 57.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 37,642 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 13,793 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.