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

AGNC Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:AGNC) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders acquired 60,547 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 67% compared to the typical volume of 36,180 call options.

AGNC Investment Price Performance

AGNC traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $11.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 10,541,075 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,089,035. The stock has a market cap of $12.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.46 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $10.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. AGNC Investment has a 12 month low of $7.85 and a 12 month high of $11.69.

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ:AGNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $836.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $466.39 million. AGNC Investment had a return on equity of 18.84% and a net margin of 24.40%.During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect 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 Tuesday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a $0.12 dividend. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. AGNC Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 214.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AGNC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded AGNC Investment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. BTIG Research cut AGNC Investment from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of AGNC Investment from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Jones Trading restated a “buy” rating and set a $10.00 target price on shares of AGNC Investment in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $10.41.

Insider Activity at AGNC Investment

In related news, CEO Peter J. Federico sold 45,798 shares of AGNC Investment 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,557,401 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,994,508.27. The trade was a 2.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of AGNC Investment

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new stake in AGNC Investment during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Red Tortoise LLC raised its stake in shares of AGNC Investment by 377.4% during the 2nd quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 2,764 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,185 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in AGNC Investment during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in AGNC Investment by 110.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 3,251 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,708 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew 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 purchasing an additional 1,690 shares during the last quarter. 38.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.