AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC – Get Rating) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 15,270,000 shares, a drop of 25.3% from the June 30th total of 20,430,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 13,600,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days. Currently, 2.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.
AGNC Investment Stock Up 0.3 %
AGNC opened at $12.61 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $11.65 and its 200-day moving average is $12.60. AGNC Investment has a one year low of $9.99 and a one year high of $16.75. The company has a market capitalization of $6.60 billion, a PE ratio of -6.60 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27.
AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.24. AGNC Investment had a negative net margin of 69.82% and a positive return on equity of 19.20%. The company had revenue of $315.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $323.75 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.76 EPS. AGNC Investment’s revenue was up 35.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that AGNC Investment will post 2.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.
AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a jul 22 dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 29th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 12.4%. AGNC Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -75.39%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AGNC. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price target on AGNC Investment to $12.50 and set a “na” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of AGNC Investment from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $14.50 to $11.50 in a report on Monday, April 25th. Maxim Group reduced their target price on shares of AGNC Investment from $17.00 to $13.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 4th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of AGNC Investment from $17.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Monday, May 16th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on AGNC Investment from $15.00 to $13.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AGNC Investment currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.00.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On AGNC Investment
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AGNC. Walker Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in AGNC Investment in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,848,000. Traynor Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment during the second quarter valued at approximately $146,000. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of AGNC Investment by 14.4% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,635 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 963 shares in the last quarter. Selective Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in AGNC Investment by 57.9% in the 2nd quarter. Selective Wealth Management Inc. now owns 29,397 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 10,774 shares during the period. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in AGNC Investment by 48.7% during the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 21,380 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 7,000 shares in the last quarter. 47.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About AGNC Investment
AGNC Investment Corp., formerly American Capital Agency Corp., is a real estate investment trust. The Company invests in agency residential mortgage-backed securities on a leveraged basis. Its investments consist of residential mortgage pass-through securities and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) for which the principal and interest payments are guaranteed by a government-sponsored enterprise, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), or by the United States Government agency, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) (collectively, GSEs).
