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

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,400,000 shares, an increase of 58.0% from the January 31st total of 4,050,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,150,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

ARMOUR Residential REIT Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ARR traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $19.04. 3,007,455 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,469,350. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a one year low of $17.35 and a one year high of $21.93. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $18.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.34. The company has a market cap of $1.91 billion, a PE ratio of -44.27 and a beta of 1.48.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s payout ratio is currently -669.77%.

Insider Activity at ARMOUR Residential REIT

In other ARMOUR Residential REIT news, Director Robert C. Hain sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total value of $45,175.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $122,749.51. This represents a 26.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stewart J. Paperin sold 24,852 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.78, for a total transaction of $466,720.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 363 shares in the company, valued at $6,817.14. This trade represents a 98.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARMOUR Residential REIT

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

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.