ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $16.55 and last traded at $16.75, with a volume of 3247025 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.03.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on ARR shares. B. Riley upgraded shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. BTIG Research began coverage on ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Monday, February 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.50.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of -35.01 and a beta of 1.53.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 19.13%. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s payout ratio is -669.77%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert C. Hain sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owns 6,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $122,749.51. This represents a 26.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company 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 added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 300.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 124,470 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,539,000 after purchasing an additional 93,397 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 70.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 70,970 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,448,000 after buying an additional 29,306 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,807,864 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $36,880,000 after acquiring an additional 27,575 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT during the fourth quarter worth $419,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 36.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 449,871 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $8,485,000 after acquiring an additional 120,718 shares during the period. 54.17% of the stock is currently owned by 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.