ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) Short Interest Update

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

Insider Buying and Selling at ARMOUR Residential REIT

In other news, Director Robert C. Hain sold 6,833 shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARR. Wolverine Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 570.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 848,724 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $12,680,000 after acquiring an additional 722,160 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC acquired a new position in ARMOUR Residential REIT during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,037,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 34.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 543,434 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,119,000 after purchasing an additional 138,039 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 57.6% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 439,096 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,560,000 after purchasing an additional 160,422 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 35.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,995,105 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $179,207,000 after purchasing an additional 3,147,068 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.17% of the company’s stock.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of ARR stock traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $17.78. 1,325,910 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,798,917. The company has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a PE ratio of 6.51 and a beta of 1.44. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 52 week low of $13.18 and a 52 week high of $19.31. The business has a 50 day moving average of $18.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.72.

ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $236.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.34 million. ARMOUR Residential REIT had a return on equity of 15.30% and a net margin of 40.31%. On average, research analysts forecast that ARMOUR Residential REIT will post 3.8 EPS for the current year.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 16.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.