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AGNC Investment (AGNC) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know

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AGNC Investment (AGNC - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $17.94, moving +0.45% from the previous trading session. This change lagged the S&P 500's 3.43% gain on the day. At the same time, the Dow added 3.29%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 4.26%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the real estate investment trust had gained 0.06% over the past month. This has outpaced the Finance sector's loss of 10.39% and the S&P 500's loss of 12.15% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from AGNC as it approaches its next earnings release, which is expected to be January 30, 2019. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.61, down 1.61% from the prior-year quarter.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for AGNC. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant. AGNC is holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) right now.

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that AGNC has a Forward P/E ratio of 7.32 right now. This represents a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 8.82.

Also, we should mention that AGNC has a PEG ratio of 2.44. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. REIT and Equity Trust stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 2.29 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The REIT and Equity Trust industry is part of the Finance sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 59, putting it in the top 23% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow AGNC in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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