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

ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

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

ARMOUR Residential REIT Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ARR traded up $0.61 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $19.63. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,184,884 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,161,758. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a fifty-two week low of $13.31 and a fifty-two week high of $27.08. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $19.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.94. The company has a market cap of $956.72 million, a P/E ratio of -10.27 and a beta of 1.48.

Insider Transactions at ARMOUR Residential REIT

In other ARMOUR Residential REIT news, Chairman Daniel C. Staton sold 61,682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.46, for a total value of $1,200,331.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $204,330. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of ARMOUR Residential REIT

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 22.8% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,455,027 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,184,000 after purchasing an additional 270,192 shares in the last quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new position in ARMOUR Residential REIT during the third quarter valued at $241,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 18.5% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 660,713 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,808,000 after acquiring an additional 103,248 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 93.5% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,011,244 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,798,000 after acquiring an additional 3,387,825 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,231,061 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,232,000 after buying an additional 119,460 shares during the period. 54.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Company Profile

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.