Short Interest in ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) Declines By 21.9%

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 10,127,985 shares, a drop of 21.9% from the January 15th total of 12,969,540 shares. Currently, 9.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,895,720 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,895,720 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days. Currently, 9.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at ARMOUR Residential REIT

In related news, Director Robert C. Hain sold 6,833 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.06, for a total value of $123,403.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,010 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,240.60. The trade was a 87.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 40.7% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,369 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 685 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 10.2% in the third quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 9,283 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 859 shares in the last quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its position in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 29,504 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $441,000 after purchasing an additional 889 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR raised its holdings in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 19,310 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $342,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 21,946 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $388,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.17% of the company’s stock.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Trading Up 0.9%

ARR stock traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $18.31. The company had a trading volume of 5,098,541 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,451,177. The stock has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 457.65 and a beta of 1.46. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 52 week low of $13.18 and a 52 week high of $19.31. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $17.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.53.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 15.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s dividend payout ratio is 7,200.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jones Trading upgraded shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.50 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Compass Point began coverage on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Monday, December 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $18.50 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.