AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

by · The Cerbat Gem

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC – Get Free Report)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $11.68 and last traded at $11.6550, with a volume of 5293685 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.57.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on AGNC shares. BTIG Research downgraded shares of AGNC Investment from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on AGNC Investment from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of AGNC Investment from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Jones Trading reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $10.00 target price on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a report on Monday, December 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $10.41.

Check Out Our Latest Report on AGNC Investment

AGNC Investment Stock Up 2.1%

The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market capitalization of $12.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.81 and a beta of 1.36.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.03). AGNC Investment had a net margin of 24.40% and a return on equity of 18.84%. The company had revenue of $836.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $466.39 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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 Tuesday, February 10th. Shareholders 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 yield of 12.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. AGNC Investment’s payout ratio is 214.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Peter J. Federico sold 45,798 shares of AGNC Investment stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.27, for a total transaction of $470,345.46. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,557,401 shares in the company, valued at $15,994,508.27. This trade represents a 2.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AGNC Investment

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AGNC. Perigon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,163 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 1,421 shares during the period. Matauro LLC acquired a new position in AGNC Investment during the fourth quarter worth approximately $119,000. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 14,113 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $151,000 after purchasing an additional 2,205 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Inc. OK lifted its stake in shares of AGNC Investment by 19.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 30,356 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 4,846 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC increased its stake in AGNC Investment by 123.4% during the 4th quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 141,178 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,513,000 after buying an additional 77,971 shares during the period. 38.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AGNC Investment Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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