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

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) saw a significant decrease in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 10,312,027 shares, a decrease of 16.9% from the December 15th total of 12,410,540 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,715,611 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.8 days. Approximately 9.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 9.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,715,611 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.8 days.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of ARR stock opened at $19.14 on Tuesday. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 12 month low of $13.18 and a 12 month high of $19.31. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.36. The firm has a market cap of $2.14 billion, a PE ratio of 478.38 and a beta of 1.44.

ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.03). ARMOUR Residential REIT had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 15.37%. The business had revenue of $210.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.25 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that ARMOUR Residential REIT will post 3.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.1%. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s payout ratio is currently 7,200.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on ARR. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $16.00 target price on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Monday, December 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $18.50 price objective for the company. Zacks Research cut shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Jones Trading raised shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.50 target price for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.33.

Insider Activity at ARMOUR Residential REIT

In other news, Director Robert C. Hain sold 6,833 shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.06, for a total transaction of $123,403.98. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,010 shares in the company, valued at $18,240.60. The trade was a 87.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 50.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 122,055 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,088,000 after purchasing an additional 40,860 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 26.1% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 14,393 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $246,000 after buying an additional 2,980 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 38.2% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 807,027 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $13,800,000 after buying an additional 222,923 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 189.5% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 92,237 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,577,000 after buying an additional 60,371 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in ARMOUR Residential REIT during the first quarter worth $181,000. 54.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About ARMOUR Residential REIT

ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) is a mortgage real estate investment trust that was formed in 2008 to acquire and manage a portfolio of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). The company’s investments are primarily agency-sponsored and agency-guaranteed RMBS issued by U.S. government-sponsored enterprises, along with credit risk transfer securities and select non-agency residential and multifamily RMBS. By focusing on high-quality mortgage assets, ARMOUR Residential REIT seeks to generate stable income and preserve capital through diversified exposure to the U.S.