AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Trading 1.6% Higher – Still a Buy?

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) was up 1.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $8.63 and last traded at $8.48. Approximately 15,630,626 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 14% from the average daily volume of 18,239,131 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on AGNC shares. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on AGNC Investment from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $11.00 price objective on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of AGNC Investment from $10.75 to $10.25 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of AGNC Investment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AGNC Investment has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $10.50.

AGNC Investment Stock Up 1.1 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $9.92 and a 200-day moving average of $9.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.23 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.70 and a beta of 1.32.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.05). AGNC Investment had a net margin of 29.26% and a return on equity of 21.92%. On average, equities research analysts expect that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AGNC Investment Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a apr 25 dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a yield of 17.7%. AGNC Investment’s payout ratio is 148.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AGNC Investment

In other AGNC Investment news, CFO Bernice Bell sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total transaction of $130,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 372,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,737,149.04. This represents a 3.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Frances Spark sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.10, for a total value of $50,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 75,919 shares in the company, valued at $766,781.90. The trade was a 6.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AGNC Investment

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment in the first quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of AGNC Investment by 12.5% during the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 32,175 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 3,580 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its position in shares of AGNC Investment by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 52,785 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 10,340 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 21.1% during the 1st quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 80,902 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $775,000 after purchasing an additional 14,117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Permanent Capital Management LP acquired a new position in AGNC Investment in the first quarter valued at about $105,000. 38.28% 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).