Analysts Set ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) Price Target at $18.50

Shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.50.

A number of research firms have issued reports on ARR. Zacks Research downgraded shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $18.00 price target (up from $17.50) on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, JonesTrading cut their price target on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of ARR stock opened at $17.25 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $2.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.98 and a beta of 1.36. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 52 week low of $13.98 and a 52 week high of $19.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $17.12 and a 200-day moving average of $17.42.

ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $70.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $155.79 million. ARMOUR Residential REIT had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 15.39%. Analysts anticipate that ARMOUR Residential REIT will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current year.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 16.7%. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s dividend payout ratio is currently 150.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARMOUR Residential REIT

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 86,494 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,531,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 40.7% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,369 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 10.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 859 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 19,310 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 21,946 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares during the period. 54.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.