Robert Hain Sells 6,833 Shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) Stock

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) Director Robert Hain sold 6,833 shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.06, for a total value of $123,403.98. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,240.60. This trade represents a 87.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ARR opened at $18.10 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of 452.38 and a beta of 1.44. ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $13.18 and a fifty-two week high of $19.25.

ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.03). ARMOUR Residential REIT had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 15.37%. The business had revenue of $210.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.25 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. will post 3.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7,200.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ARMOUR Residential REIT

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARR. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 19.7% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 188,792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,228,000 after purchasing an additional 31,133 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 17,311.3% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,019,888 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,540,000 after buying an additional 2,008,287 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in ARMOUR Residential REIT during the 2nd quarter worth $350,000. Inceptionr LLC raised its position in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 121.9% during the 2nd quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 30,288 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $509,000 after buying an additional 16,638 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 203.7% in the second quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 32,402 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 21,734 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price objective on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Compass Point initiated coverage on ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Monday, December 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $18.50 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research cut ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.25.

About ARMOUR Residential REIT

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.