Independent Financial Group LLC Takes Position in ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. $ARR

Key Points

• Independent Financial Group LLC opened a new position in ARMOUR Residential REIT in Q1, buying 87,425 shares valued at about $1.46 million. The stake represented 0.07% of the company.
• Institutional interest remains significant, with hedge funds and other investors owning 54.17% of the stock. Several firms, including Marshall Wace, UBS Group, and AQR, also increased their holdings recently.
• ARMOUR Residential REIT reported quarterly EPS of $0.76, topping estimates, and it announced a monthly dividend of $0.24 per share. The stock was trading at $16.62, and analysts currently rate it Hold on average with a $18.50 price target.

Independent Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 87,425 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,458,000. Independent Financial Group LLC owned 0.07% of ARMOUR Residential REIT at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ARR. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 365.7% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,495,203 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $37,278,000 after acquiring an additional 1,959,447 shares during the period. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 115.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,109,852 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $16,581,000 after purchasing an additional 595,773 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 341.4% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 471,298 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $8,337,000 after purchasing an additional 364,515 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 22.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,855,148 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $27,716,000 after purchasing an additional 338,134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in ARMOUR Residential REIT in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,258,000. 54.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ARR. Zacks Research downgraded shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $18.00 price target (up from $17.50) on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, JonesTrading reduced their price objective on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $18.50.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE ARR opened at $16.62 on Monday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $17.01 and its 200 day moving average is $17.41. The stock has a market cap of $2.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.66 and a beta of 1.36. ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. has a 1-year low of $13.98 and a 1-year high of $19.31.

ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE:ARR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.03. ARMOUR Residential REIT had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 15.39%. The business had revenue of $70.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $155.79 million. On average, analysts forecast that ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. will post 2.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 17.3%. ARMOUR Residential REIT's dividend payout ratio is 150.00%.

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.

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