ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) Downgraded to Sell at StockNews.com

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

Separately, UBS Group assumed coverage on ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research report on Wednesday, December 6th. They issued a neutral rating and a $18.50 target price for the company.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Stock Performance

ARR opened at $19.63 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $956.72 million, a P/E ratio of -10.27 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a 50-day moving average of $19.19 and a 200-day moving average of $18.94. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 1-year low of $13.31 and a 1-year high of $27.08.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s payout ratio is -150.78%.

Insider Activity at ARMOUR Residential REIT

In other ARMOUR Residential REIT news, Chairman Daniel C. Staton sold 61,682 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.46, for a total value of $1,200,331.72. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $204,330. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of ARMOUR Residential REIT

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. US Bancorp DE grew its position in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 44.4% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,913 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 588 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its holdings in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,803 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 760 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 48,195 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 777 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Creative Planning now owns 12,823 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 923 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 74.0% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,469 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.17% of the company’s stock.

About ARMOUR Residential REIT

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc invests in residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in the United States. The company's 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, as well as unsecured notes and bonds issued by the GSE and the United States treasuries, as well as money market instruments.