With a 14% Yield and Book Value Climbing, Is It Time to Buy AGNC Stock?

Core Viewpoint - The environment for AGNC Investment is improving, with a high dividend yield over 14%, despite past struggles in the stock price due to rising mortgage rates and widening spreads between mortgage-backed securities and Treasuries [1][4][15]. Company Overview - AGNC is a mortgage real estate investment trust (mREIT) that primarily owns agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS), which are backed by government agencies and carry minimal default risk [2]. - The company has faced significant challenges due to rising mortgage rates and a widening spread between MBS and Treasuries, impacting its balance sheet and tangible book value (TBV) [4][5]. Financial Performance - AGNC's TBV fell 45% from $15.75 at the end of 2021 to $8.70 at the end of 2023, with a further decline to $7.81 in Q2 2025 before a recovery to $8.28 in Q3 [7][8]. - The company paid out $0.36 per share in dividends in Q3, resulting in a total economic return on tangible common equity of 10.6% for the quarter [8]. - AGNC's average net interest spread decreased to 1.78%, down from 2.21% a year ago, indicating a narrowing spread due to reduced hedging income [9]. Capital Management - The company raised $309 million in equity through at-the-market offerings and $345 million through a preferred offering, which can enhance TBV when done above TBV levels [11]. - AGNC ended the quarter with a leverage ratio of 7.6 times tangible net book value "at risk," unchanged from Q2 and up from 7.2 times a year ago [12]. Market Outlook - The company is expected to benefit from potential Federal Reserve rate cuts and a return of banks and money managers to the MBS market [13]. - Despite a slight shortfall in net spread and income from dollar rolls compared to dividends, the stock is viewed as an attractive buy due to historically attractive MBS spreads and the potential for TBV to increase [15][16].