Balefire LLC Lowers Stake in AGNC Investment Corp. $AGNC

Balefire LLC cut its position in shares of AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) by 39.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 216,468 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 142,083 shares during the quarter. Balefire LLC’s holdings in AGNC Investment were worth $2,171,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment in the first quarter worth $89,000. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 1,734.5% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 574,465 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,762,000 after acquiring an additional 543,150 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of AGNC Investment by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,123,100 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $21,295,000 after acquiring an additional 69,100 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in AGNC Investment by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,535,758 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $15,404,000 after purchasing an additional 50,194 shares during the period. Finally, Advisortrust Partners LLC boosted its position in AGNC Investment by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 33,571 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 2,938 shares during the period. 38.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AGNC Investment Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AGNC opened at $11.22 on Monday. AGNC Investment Corp. has a 1 year low of $9.11 and a 1 year high of $12.19. The firm has a market cap of $12.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.27 and a beta of 1.31. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $10.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.82.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.06. AGNC Investment had a return on equity of 18.31% and a net margin of 39.50%.The firm had revenue of ($114.00) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $411.57 million. As a group, research analysts predict that AGNC Investment Corp. will post 1.57 EPS for the current year.

AGNC Investment Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 11th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. AGNC Investment’s payout ratio is 119.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AGNC Investment

In related news, Director Donna Blank sold 22,000 shares of AGNC Investment stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.78, for a total value of $237,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 96,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,039,957.38. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Peter J. Federico sold 64,412 shares of AGNC Investment stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.08, for a total value of $713,684.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,927,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,352,079.64. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 215,234 shares of company stock worth $2,364,022 over the last ninety days. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on AGNC shares. Compass Point lowered AGNC Investment from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $11.50 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $12.00 target price on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group increased their target price on AGNC Investment from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $11.50 target price (up from $11.00) on shares of AGNC Investment in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned 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 $11.33.

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.