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

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 5,100,000 shares, a drop of 20.3% from the February 13th total of 6,400,000 shares. Approximately 5.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,340,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Trading Up 0.4 %

ARMOUR Residential REIT stock traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $18.80. The company had a trading volume of 2,373,179 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,517,934. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 12 month low of $17.35 and a 12 month high of $21.93. The company has a market capitalization of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of -43.73 and a beta of 1.53. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $18.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.22.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.32%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s payout ratio is -669.77%.

Insider Transactions at ARMOUR Residential REIT

In other news, Director Robert C. Hain sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total transaction of $45,175.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $122,749.51. The trade was a 26.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stewart J. Paperin sold 24,852 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.78, for a total value of $466,720.56. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,817.14. The trade was a 98.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARMOUR Residential REIT

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Trust Co. NA purchased a new stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 927.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,768 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,596 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 35.2% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,695 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT in the 3rd quarter worth about $61,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 117.8% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,465 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 1,874 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. B. Riley raised ARMOUR Residential REIT to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Monday, February 10th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.50.

About ARMOUR Residential REIT

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc invests in residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in the United States. Its securities portfolio primarily consists of the United States Government-sponsored entity's (GSE) and the Government National Mortgage Administration's issued or guaranteed securities backed by fixed rate, hybrid adjustable rate, and adjustable-rate home loans; and unsecured notes and bonds issued by the GSE and the United States treasuries, as well as money market instruments.