Traders Buy High Volume of AGNC Investment Put Options (NASDAQ:AGNC)

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors purchased 167,320 put options on the company. This is an increase of 318% compared to the average volume of 40,007 put options.

AGNC Investment Stock Performance

Shares of AGNC opened at $9.75 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $11.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.62. AGNC Investment has a 12 month low of $7.85 and a 12 month high of $12.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.96 and a beta of 1.37.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $354.75 million. AGNC Investment had a return on equity of 18.32% and a net margin of 47.40%. As a group, analysts predict that AGNC Investment will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

AGNC Investment Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. AGNC Investment’s payout ratio is presently 102.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kenneth L. Pollack sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.11, for a total transaction of $605,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 552,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,688,316.67. The trade was a 8.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bernice Bell sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were 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 directly owned 491,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,969,577.92. This trade represents a 4.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 775,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,246,000. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AGNC Investment

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AGNC. Wealthspire Advisors LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 907 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC lifted its position in AGNC Investment by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 20,784 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $206,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC lifted its position in AGNC Investment by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 11,152 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $200,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares during the last quarter. 38.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on AGNC shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of AGNC Investment from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays raised their target price on AGNC Investment from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on AGNC Investment from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. JonesTrading lowered AGNC Investment from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $12.00 price target (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 issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.03.

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.