AGNC Investment Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:AGNC)

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors purchased 56,948 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 41% compared to the typical volume of 40,489 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AGNC Investment news, EVP Bernice Bell sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.14, for a total value of $303,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 491,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,969,577.92. The trade was a 4.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary D. Kain sold 700,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.91, for a total value of $8,337,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,189,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,072,073.81. This trade represents a 24.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 775,000 shares of company stock worth $9,246,000. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealthspire Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 104,287 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 907 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC raised its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 5.0% in the third quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 20,784 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $206,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC lifted its position in AGNC Investment by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 11,152 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 1,046 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC lifted its position in AGNC Investment by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC now owns 18,621 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $200,000 after buying an additional 1,049 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 38.28% of the company’s stock.

AGNC Investment Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of AGNC opened at $10.64 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a market cap of $11.80 billion, a PE ratio of 7.60 and a beta of 1.37. AGNC Investment has a 1 year low of $7.85 and a 1 year high of $12.19. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.58.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.02). AGNC Investment had a net margin of 47.40% and a return on equity of 18.32%. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $354.75 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AGNC Investment will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AGNC Investment Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 13.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. AGNC Investment’s dividend payout ratio is currently 102.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on AGNC. JonesTrading lowered AGNC Investment from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays increased their price target on AGNC Investment from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AGNC Investment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $12.00 target price (up from $11.00) on shares of AGNC Investment in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.03.

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.