Short Interest in ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) Declines By 20.3%

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. BTIG Research assumed coverage on ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Monday, February 10th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. B. Riley upgraded ARMOUR Residential REIT to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.50.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE ARR opened at $18.81 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of -43.75 and a beta of 1.53. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 1-year low of $17.35 and a 1-year high of $21.93. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $18.76 and a 200-day moving average of $19.24.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 15.31%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s payout ratio is -669.77%.

Insider Activity at ARMOUR Residential REIT

In other ARMOUR Residential REIT news, Director Stewart J. Paperin sold 24,852 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.78, for a total value of $466,720.56. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 363 shares in the company, valued at $6,817.14. This represents a 98.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $45,175.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $122,749.51. The trade was a 26.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ARMOUR Residential REIT

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,904,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in the 3rd quarter worth about $322,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 2.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 452,486 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $9,231,000 after buying an additional 9,425 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC raised its stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 22.9% in the third quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 51,525 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,051,000 after buying an additional 9,610 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 36.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,486 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $153,000 after buying an additional 2,003 shares during the period. 54.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.