ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) Short Interest Down 21.9% in January

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 10,127,985 shares, a decline of 21.9% from the January 15th total of 12,969,540 shares. Approximately 9.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 3,895,720 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 3,895,720 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days. Approximately 9.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ARR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JonesTrading raised 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, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Compass Point began coverage on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Monday, December 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $18.50 target price for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.33.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Stock Down 2.8%

NYSE ARR traded down $0.52 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $17.78. The stock had a trading volume of 3,953,592 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,298,495. The company has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 444.50 and a beta of 1.46. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $17.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.56. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a twelve month low of $13.18 and a twelve month high of $19.31.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 16.2%. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s dividend payout ratio is 7,200.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 1,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,240.60. This represents a 87.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of ARMOUR Residential REIT

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 217.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,721 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 210.9% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,766 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 620.6% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,823 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,570 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 40.7% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,369 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in ARMOUR Residential REIT in the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.17% of the company’s stock.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Company 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.