AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) Cut to Hold at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on AGNC. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of AGNC Investment from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AGNC Investment in a report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of AGNC Investment from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on AGNC Investment from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on AGNC Investment from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.03.

AGNC Investment Trading Down 4.8%

Shares of AGNC stock opened at $11.40 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.14 and a beta of 1.36. AGNC Investment has a twelve month low of $7.85 and a twelve month high of $12.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.27.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last posted its 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). The firm had revenue of $995.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $354.75 million. AGNC Investment had a net margin of 47.40% and a return on equity of 19.13%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AGNC Investment will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AGNC Investment Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. AGNC Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 102.86%.

Insider Activity

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 value of $605,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 552,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,688,316.67. The trade was a 8.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Bernice Bell sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.14, for a total value of $303,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 491,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,969,577.92. This represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 775,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,246,000 in the last ninety days. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AGNC. Cozad Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in AGNC Investment by 59.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 181,459 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,668,000 after purchasing an additional 67,355 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its position in AGNC Investment by 78.0% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 3,650 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of AGNC Investment during the 2nd quarter worth $325,000. Delphi Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in AGNC Investment during the second quarter worth about $574,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in AGNC Investment in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,170,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 38.28% of the company’s stock.

Key AGNC Investment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AGNC Investment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler maintained an Overweight rating on AGNC, citing narrowing agency MBS spreads that should help margins and positioning. Piper Sandler Overweight Note
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call-option activity: traders bought ~169,176 call options (≈327% above average), signalling heightened bullish/speculative interest that can support near-term upward momentum. Traders Buy High Volume of Calls
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” (formerly labelled “moderate buy” in some notes) and set a $12 price target, implying modest upside from current levels; mixed signal versus other research. KBW Market Perform / $12 PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in the recent release appears anomalous/zeroed (likely a data issue); no clear short squeeze signal can be derived from that report.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Kenneth L. Pollack sold 50,000 shares on Jan. 28 at an average $12.11, reducing his stake by ~8.3% — significant insider selling can weigh on sentiment. SEC Form 4 – Pollack
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Bernice Bell sold 25,000 shares on Jan. 28 at an average $12.14, a ~4.8% reduction in her holdings — further insider liquidity. SEC Form 4 – Bell
• Negative Sentiment: Director Gary D. Kain sold a large block of 700,000 shares on Jan. 29 at an average $11.91, cutting his stake by ~24.2% — the size of this sale is material and likely a leading driver of downward pressure today. SEC Form 4 – Kain
• Negative Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods issued a downgrade from “moderate buy” to “hold” (reported 1/30), which reduces buy-side analyst support and may amplify selling pressure. KBW Downgrade Report

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.