ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) Short Interest Update

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,400,000 shares, a growth of 58.0% from the January 31st total of 4,050,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,150,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Price Performance

Shares of ARR traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $18.68. 2,179,098 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,456,618. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a twelve month low of $17.35 and a twelve month high of $21.93. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -43.43 and a beta of 1.48. The business's 50-day moving average price is $18.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.34.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.42%. ARMOUR Residential REIT's payout ratio is -669.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ARR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. B. Riley raised shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com cut ARMOUR Residential REIT from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Monday, February 10th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ARMOUR Residential REIT presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $20.50.

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 dated Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,817.14. This represents a 98.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Private Trust Co. NA purchased a new stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in 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. lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 702 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,874 shares during the last quarter. 54.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Company Profile

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.