AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $11.0313.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AGNC shares. JonesTrading lowered AGNC Investment from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on AGNC Investment from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on AGNC Investment from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded AGNC Investment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on AGNC Investment from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th.

Insider Transactions at AGNC Investment

In other news, Director Gary D. Kain sold 700,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.91, for a total value of $8,337,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,189,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,072,073.81. This represents a 24.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kenneth L. Pollack sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.11, for a total transaction of $605,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 552,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,688,316.67. This trade represents a 8.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 775,000 shares of company stock worth $9,246,000. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AGNC Investment

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of AGNC Investment in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AGNC Investment during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in AGNC Investment by 110.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 3,251 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,708 shares in the last quarter. 38.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AGNC Investment Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ AGNC opened at $9.69 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $11.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.61. The stock has a market cap of $10.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.37. AGNC Investment has a 52-week low of $7.85 and a 52-week high of $12.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.21.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 18.32% and a net margin of 47.40%.The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $354.75 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AGNC Investment will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.9%. AGNC Investment’s payout ratio is 102.86%.

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.