ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Friday morning.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on ARR. B. Riley upgraded ARMOUR Residential REIT to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Monday, February 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. 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 an average target price of $20.50.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of ARR stock opened at $19.19 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $18.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a PE ratio of 8.13 and a beta of 1.48. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 52 week low of $17.35 and a 52 week high of $21.93.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 15.01%. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s payout ratio is currently 122.03%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Stewart J. Paperin sold 24,852 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.78, for a total value of $466,720.56. Following the transaction, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Hain sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total value 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 67.8% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,374 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 555 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA purchased a new position in ARMOUR Residential REIT during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew 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 worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,596 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake 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 buying an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new position in ARMOUR Residential REIT during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $61,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.17% of the company’s stock.

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.