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

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) was the recipient 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 presently 3.0 days.

Insider Activity

In other ARMOUR Residential REIT news, Director Robert C. Hain sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total transaction of $45,175.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Stewart J. Paperin sold 24,852 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,817.14. The trade was a 98.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARMOUR Residential REIT

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new position in ARMOUR Residential REIT during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $33,000 after acquiring 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 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,695 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in the third quarter valued at $61,000. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 117.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,465 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,874 shares during the last quarter. 54.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Price Performance

Shares of ARR stock traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $18.67. The company had a trading volume of 3,275,908 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,489,566. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -43.42 and a beta of 1.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $18.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.34. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 52-week low of $17.35 and a 52-week high of $21.93.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 15.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -669.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ARR shares. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Monday, February 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. B. Riley raised shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.