Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 138,039 Shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. $ARR

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) by 34.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 543,434 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 138,039 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in ARMOUR Residential REIT were worth $8,119,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ARR. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 139.1% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,675 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 1,556 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in ARMOUR Residential REIT during the 2nd quarter valued at about $55,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 80.9% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,289 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,471 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 311.2% in the 2nd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 3,388 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 2,564 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 126.2% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,429 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 3,587 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.17% of the company’s stock.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of ARR opened at $18.31 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of 457.65 and a beta of 1.46. ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. has a 12 month low of $13.18 and a 12 month high of $19.31. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $17.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.53.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 15.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7,200.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at ARMOUR Residential REIT

In other news, Director Robert C. Hain sold 6,833 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were 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. This represents a 87.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research raised ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Compass Point began coverage on ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Monday, December 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $18.50 price objective for the company. Finally, Jones Trading upgraded ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.50 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.33.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Profile

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.