ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) Short Interest Up 25.8% in January

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 12,969,540 shares, an increase of 25.8% from the December 31st total of 10,312,027 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,703,449 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days. Approximately 11.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 11.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,703,449 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Price Performance

ARR stock traded up $0.20 on Wednesday, reaching $17.54. 1,930,033 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,151,927. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 437.88 and a beta of 1.46. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 12 month low of $13.18 and a 12 month high of $19.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $17.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.47.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 16.4%. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s payout ratio is presently 7,200.00%.

Insider Transactions at ARMOUR Residential REIT

In other ARMOUR Residential REIT news, Director Robert C. Hain sold 6,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.06, for a total value of $123,403.98. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,240.60. This trade represents a 87.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARMOUR Residential REIT

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ARR. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 217.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,721 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 210.9% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,766 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 620.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,823 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,570 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 139.1% during the 2nd 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 during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT in the third quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ARR shares. Zacks Research upgraded ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Jones Trading upgraded shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.50 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Compass Point assumed coverage on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Monday, December 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $18.50 target price on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.33.

About ARMOUR Residential REIT

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.