Norges Bank Invests $2.62 Million in ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR)

Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 138,849 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $2,619,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 0.25% of ARMOUR Residential REIT as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 36.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,486 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $153,000 after acquiring an additional 2,003 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 171.1% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 27,480 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $561,000 after acquiring an additional 17,342 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 42.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 108,029 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,204,000 after purchasing an additional 32,351 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in ARMOUR Residential REIT by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,807,864 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $36,880,000 after purchasing an additional 27,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT by 300.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 124,470 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,539,000 after purchasing an additional 93,397 shares during the period. 54.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. B. Riley upgraded ARMOUR Residential REIT to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. StockNews.com cut shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on ARMOUR Residential REIT in a research note on Monday, February 10th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $20.50.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Stock Performance

Shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT stock traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $14.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 699,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,757,871. The stock has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -33.29 and a beta of 1.23. ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. has a twelve month low of $13.18 and a twelve month high of $21.93. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $17.62 and a 200-day moving average of $18.55.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 20.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. ARMOUR Residential REIT's payout ratio is currently -669.77%.

ARMOUR Residential REIT Company Profile

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