Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC)

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders bought 47,333 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 47% compared to the average volume of 32,166 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AGNC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on AGNC Investment from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AGNC Investment from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on AGNC Investment from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Jones Trading reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $10.00 price objective on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AGNC Investment presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $10.32.

AGNC Investment Price Performance

Shares of AGNC stock opened at $10.66 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $10.26 and its 200 day moving average is $9.84. AGNC Investment has a 1-year low of $7.85 and a 1-year high of $10.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $11.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.91 and a beta of 1.36.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.03). AGNC Investment had a return on equity of 18.84% and a net margin of 24.40%.The firm had revenue of $836.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.39 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that AGNC Investment will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.5%. AGNC Investment’s dividend payout ratio is presently 214.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Peter J. Federico sold 45,798 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,557,401 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,994,508.27. This trade represents a 2.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AGNC Investment

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Red Tortoise LLC boosted its position in shares of AGNC Investment by 377.4% in the 2nd quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 2,764 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in AGNC Investment in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in AGNC Investment by 100.9% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,365 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,690 shares in the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC acquired a new stake in AGNC Investment in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment during the third quarter worth about $34,000. 38.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AGNC Investment

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.