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

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 12,292,349 shares, an increase of 21.4% from the January 29th total of 10,127,985 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,517,657 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days. Approximately 10.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 10.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 3,517,657 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction of $123,403.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,010 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,240.60. This trade represents a 87.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARMOUR Residential REIT

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 620.6% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,823 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,570 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 217.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,721 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 210.9% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,766 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 40.7% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,369 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ARR has been the topic of several recent research reports. JonesTrading decreased their price target on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from $20.50 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research lowered ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Compass Point initiated coverage on ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Monday, December 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $18.50 price target on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.17.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Stock Performance

Shares of ARR stock opened at $17.86 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.54 and a beta of 1.44. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 1-year low of $13.18 and a 1-year high of $19.31. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.71.

ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $236.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.34 million. ARMOUR Residential REIT had a return on equity of 15.30% and a net margin of 40.31%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that ARMOUR Residential REIT will post 3.8 EPS for the current year.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 16.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s dividend payout ratio is currently 105.49%.

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.