AGNC Investment Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:AGNC)

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock investors bought 169,176 call options on the company. This is an increase of 327% compared to the typical volume of 39,663 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Bernice Bell sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.14, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary D. Kain sold 700,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 24.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 775,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,246,000. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AGNC Investment

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Choreo LLC boosted its holdings in AGNC Investment by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 20,784 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $206,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of AGNC Investment by 61.1% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,762 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 7.2% in the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,800 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $145,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of AGNC Investment by 0.5% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 218,805 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,165,000 after buying an additional 1,065 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Financial Group INC SD raised its holdings in AGNC Investment by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Compass Financial Group INC SD now owns 21,521 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $211,000 after buying an additional 1,084 shares during the last quarter. 38.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AGNC Investment Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AGNC opened at $11.40 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $10.99 and its 200 day moving average is $10.27. The firm has a market cap of $12.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.14 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31. AGNC Investment has a 52-week low of $7.85 and a 52-week high of $12.19.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.02). AGNC Investment had a net margin of 47.40% and a return on equity of 19.13%. The firm had revenue of $995.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $354.75 million. Research analysts predict that AGNC Investment will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. AGNC Investment’s payout ratio is currently 102.86%.

More AGNC Investment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AGNC Investment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler maintained an Overweight rating on AGNC, citing narrowing agency MBS spreads that should help margins and positioning. Piper Sandler Overweight Note
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call-option activity: traders bought ~169,176 call options (≈327% above average), signalling heightened bullish/speculative interest that can support near-term upward momentum. Traders Buy High Volume of Calls
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” (formerly labelled “moderate buy” in some notes) and set a $12 price target, implying modest upside from current levels; mixed signal versus other research. KBW Market Perform / $12 PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in the recent release appears anomalous/zeroed (likely a data issue); no clear short squeeze signal can be derived from that report.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Kenneth L. Pollack sold 50,000 shares on Jan. 28 at an average $12.11, reducing his stake by ~8.3% — significant insider selling can weigh on sentiment. SEC Form 4 – Pollack
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Bernice Bell sold 25,000 shares on Jan. 28 at an average $12.14, a ~4.8% reduction in her holdings — further insider liquidity. SEC Form 4 – Bell
• Negative Sentiment: Director Gary D. Kain sold a large block of 700,000 shares on Jan. 29 at an average $11.91, cutting his stake by ~24.2% — the size of this sale is material and likely a leading driver of downward pressure today. SEC Form 4 – Kain
• Negative Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods issued a downgrade from “moderate buy” to “hold” (reported 1/30), which reduces buy-side analyst support and may amplify selling pressure. KBW Downgrade Report

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on AGNC Investment from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on AGNC Investment from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. BTIG Research lowered AGNC Investment from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on AGNC Investment from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $12.00 price target (up previously from $11.00) on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.03.

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.