AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Upgraded at Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report report published on Friday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $12.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock, up from their prior price target of $10.00.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on AGNC. Maxim Group lowered shares of AGNC Investment from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on AGNC Investment from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. StockNews.com upgraded AGNC Investment from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Compass Point boosted their price objective on AGNC Investment from $10.25 to $11.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $10.33.

AGNC Investment Stock Down 0.7 %

AGNC stock opened at $10.49 on Friday. AGNC Investment has a one year low of $6.81 and a one year high of $10.85. The firm has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 11.53 and a beta of 1.47. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $10.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $695.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $643.29 million. AGNC Investment had a net margin of 16.15% and a return on equity of 26.21%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 52.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AGNC Investment will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

AGNC Investment Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.73%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. AGNC Investment’s dividend payout ratio is presently 158.24%.

Insider Activity at AGNC Investment

In other AGNC Investment news, CFO Bernice Bell sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.97, for a total transaction of $49,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 308,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,072,574.54. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.52% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AGNC Investment

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AGNC. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 5.4% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 19,712 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $188,000 after buying an additional 1,012 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of AGNC Investment by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 16,847 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059 shares during the last quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 8.1% in the first quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 15,940 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $158,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC raised its stake in shares of AGNC Investment by 4.9% during the second quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 26,815 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 52.2% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,661 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255 shares during the period. 38.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).