ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.03, Zacks reports. ARMOUR Residential REIT had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 15.39%.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of ARR traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $16.36. 3,628,629 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,586,745. ARMOUR Residential REIT has a 1 year low of $13.98 and a 1 year high of $19.31. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $16.97 and its 200-day moving average is $17.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.52 and a beta of 1.36.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 17.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. ARMOUR Residential REIT’s dividend payout ratio is currently 150.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JonesTrading cut their price target on ARMOUR Residential REIT from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Zacks Research downgraded ARMOUR Residential REIT from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $18.00 target price (up from $17.50) on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ARMOUR Residential REIT has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARR. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 50.3% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 122,055 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,088,000 after buying an additional 40,860 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 26.1% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 14,393 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 2,980 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 38.2% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 807,027 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $13,800,000 after acquiring an additional 222,923 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 189.5% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 92,237 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,577,000 after acquiring an additional 60,371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $181,000. 54.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Company Profile

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.