ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) Sets New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $17.00 and last traded at $17.12, with a volume of 1155723 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.58.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on ARR. B. Riley upgraded shares of 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 research report on Friday, February 14th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Monday, February 10th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.50.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Trading Down 2.9 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -39.69 and a beta of 1.53. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $18.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.10.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 16.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s dividend payout ratio is presently -669.77%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert C. Hain sold 2,500 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at $122,749.51. This trade represents a 26.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Stewart J. Paperin sold 24,852 shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly 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. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARMOUR Residential REIT

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,869 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 777 shares during the last quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. raised its position in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 21,861 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 11,988 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $226,000 after buying an additional 1,316 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 11,904 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 1,481 shares during the last quarter. 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.