Annaly Offers 14.83% Dividend Yield: Is this Sustainable?

Annaly Capital Management, Inc. NLY has a record of paying monthly dividends, currently yielding a staggering 14.83% compared with the industry’s 12.9%. It currently sits at a payout ratio of 101%.

Dividend Yield

Generally, such a high dividend yield screams that a cut is forthcoming. However, that is not the case with this mortgage REIT's payout. Instead, Annaly recently hiked its dividend for the first time in the past five years.

In March 2025, Annaly announced a cash dividend of 70 cents per share for the first quarter of 2025, marking a 7.7% hike from the prior payout. This move reflects confidence in NLY’s cash flow and growth prospects.

Annaly is focused on improving its liquidity and reducing leverage to support capital distribution activities. Till the end of the first quarter of 2025, the company had $7.5 billion of total assets available for financing, including cash and unencumbered Agency MBS of $4.7 billion, which can readily provide liquidity in times of adverse market conditions. This provides a substantial competitive edge in today's market.

On Dec. 31, 2024, the company’s board of directors authorized a common share repurchase program, which will expire on Dec. 31, 2029. Under the program, the company may repurchase up to $1.5 billion of its outstanding shares of common stock. Though the company has not repurchased shares under this plan since it was announced, its solid liquidity position will support its capital distribution in the future.

How NLY Competes With AGNC & ABR in Terms of Dividends

AGNC Investment Corp. AGNC has a record of paying monthly dividends, currently yielding a staggering 15.93%. It currently sits at a payout ratio of 81%. Dividends aside, AGNC Investment has a share repurchase plan in place. As of March 31, 2025, AGNC Investment’s liquidity, including unencumbered cash and Agency MBS, was $6 billion. Given this, AGNC’s capital distribution seems sustainable.

Arbor Realty Trust ABR has a record of paying out quarterly dividends. Its current dividend yield is 12.66%, with a payout ratio of 115%. However, last month, the company reduced its dividend by 30.3% to 30 cents per share. As of March 31, 2025, ABR had cash and cash equivalents of $508 million, while it had a long-term debt of $4.8 billion. Hence, given a weak liquidity profile, Arbor Realty’s capital distribution seems unsustainable.

Annaly’s Price Performance, Valuations & Estimates

NLY shares have gained 6.7% year to date compared with the industry’s growth of 1.4%.

Price Performance

From a valuation standpoint, Annaly trades at a forward price-to-tangible book (P/TB) ratio of 0.96X, above the industry’s average of 0.95X.

P/TB Ratio

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NLY’s 2025 and 2026 earnings implies a year-over-year rise of 6.3% and 1.4%, respectively. Estimates for 2025 and 2026 have been unchanged over the past 30 days.

Earnings Estimates

Annaly stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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