ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 12,410,540 shares, an increase of 26.8% from the November 30th total of 9,789,360 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,965,326 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.2 days. Approximately 11.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 11.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,965,326 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.2 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ARR shares. Compass Point began coverage on ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Monday, December 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $18.50 target price for the company. Zacks Research cut shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $16.00 target price on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARMOUR Residential REIT

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 620.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,823 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,570 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 184.3% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,198 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 1,425 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT during the third quarter worth $42,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 120.8% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,893 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 1,583 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 139.1% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,675 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 1,556 shares in the last quarter. 54.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Price Performance

Shares of ARR opened at $17.70 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.20. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a one year low of $13.18 and a one year high of $19.33. The company has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 442.50 and a beta of 1.45.

ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.03). ARMOUR Residential REIT had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 15.37%. The business had revenue of $210.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. On average, analysts expect that ARMOUR Residential REIT will post 3.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 16.3%. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s payout ratio is presently 7,200.00%.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Company Profile

ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) is a mortgage real estate investment trust that was formed in 2008 to acquire and manage a portfolio of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). The company’s investments are primarily agency-sponsored and agency-guaranteed RMBS issued by U.S. government-sponsored enterprises, along with credit risk transfer securities and select non-agency residential and multifamily RMBS. By focusing on high-quality mortgage assets, ARMOUR Residential REIT seeks to generate stable income and preserve capital through diversified exposure to the U.S.