Short Interest in Orchid Island Capital, Inc. (NYSE:ORC) Increases By 19.1%

Orchid Island Capital, Inc. (NYSE:ORC) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 4,620,000 shares, an increase of 19.1% from the February 13th total of 3,880,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,770,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Currently, 5.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Orchid Island Capital from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Orchid Island Capital in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Orchid Island Capital

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Orchid Island Capital by 32.8% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 6,165 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Orchid Island Capital by 73.3% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,119 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 3,012 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in Orchid Island Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Orchid Island Capital in the 4th quarter valued at $82,000. Finally, Mariner LLC acquired a new stake in Orchid Island Capital in the 4th quarter valued at $82,000. 32.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Orchid Island Capital Stock Down 0.7 %

Orchid Island Capital stock traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $8.33. 2,599,322 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,028,117. The company has a market cap of $777.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.89 and a beta of 1.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $8.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.06. Orchid Island Capital has a 12-month low of $7.41 and a 12-month high of $9.08.

Orchid Island Capital (NYSE:ORC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.08. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Orchid Island Capital will post 0.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Orchid Island Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 17.28%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Orchid Island Capital’s payout ratio is currently 240.00%.

About Orchid Island Capital

Orchid Island Capital, Inc, a specialty finance company, invests in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) in the United States. The company’s RMBS is backed by single-family residential mortgage loans, referred as Agency RMBS. Its portfolio includes traditional pass-through Agency RMBS, such as mortgage pass through certificates and collateralized mortgage obligations; and structured Agency RMBS comprising interest only securities, inverse interest only securities, and principal only securities.