ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

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

Insider Buying and Selling at ARMOUR Residential REIT

In other ARMOUR Residential REIT news, Director Stewart J. Paperin sold 24,852 shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Hain sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were 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 owns 6,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $122,749.51. The trade was a 26.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARMOUR Residential REIT

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in ARMOUR Residential REIT during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $190,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT during the 4th quarter valued at $143,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT during the 4th quarter valued at $330,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 54.0% in the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 31,998 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $603,000 after purchasing an additional 11,218 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in the fourth quarter worth $641,000. 54.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on ARR shares. StockNews.com downgraded ARMOUR Residential REIT from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. B. Riley raised ARMOUR Residential REIT to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Monday, February 10th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. One 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, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $20.50.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Stock Performance

ARMOUR Residential REIT stock traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $18.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,355,977 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,550,459. The company has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a P/E ratio of -43.15 and a beta of 1.53. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $18.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.21. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 12-month low of $17.35 and a 12-month high of $21.93.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 15.52%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. ARMOUR Residential REIT's payout ratio is presently -669.77%.

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.