Short Interest in Orchid Island Capital, Inc. (NYSE:ORC) Decreases By 37.9%

Orchid Island Capital, Inc. (NYSE:ORC) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,880,000 shares, a drop of 37.9% from the January 31st total of 6,250,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,500,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.6 days. Currently, 4.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Orchid Island Capital Trading Down 2.1 %

Orchid Island Capital stock traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $8.55. The company had a trading volume of 5,034,706 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,963,398. Orchid Island Capital has a fifty-two week low of $7.41 and a fifty-two week high of $9.08. The company has a market cap of $797.66 million, a P/E ratio of 14.25 and a beta of 1.83. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.05.

Orchid Island Capital (NYSE:ORC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.08. Research analysts forecast that Orchid Island Capital will post 0.37 EPS for the current year.

Orchid Island Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 16.84%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Orchid Island Capital’s payout ratio is currently 240.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Orchid Island Capital

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Orchid Island Capital by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 6,165 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,522 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in Orchid Island Capital in the third quarter worth $58,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Orchid Island Capital by 73.3% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,119 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 3,012 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Orchid Island Capital in the fourth quarter worth $82,000. Finally, Mariner LLC acquired a new stake in Orchid Island Capital in the fourth quarter worth $82,000. Institutional investors own 32.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ORC. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Orchid Island Capital from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Orchid Island Capital in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

About Orchid Island Capital

Orchid Island Capital, Inc, a specialty finance company, invests in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) in the United States. The company’s RMBS is backed by single-family residential mortgage loans, referred as Agency RMBS. Its portfolio includes traditional pass-through Agency RMBS, such as mortgage pass through certificates and collateralized mortgage obligations; and structured Agency RMBS comprising interest only securities, inverse interest only securities, and principal only securities.