Orchid Island Capital, Inc. (NYSE:ORC) Short Interest Update

Orchid Island Capital, Inc. (NYSE:ORC) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 4,620,000 shares, a growth of 19.1% from the February 13th total of 3,880,000 shares. Approximately 5.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,770,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Orchid Island Capital Price Performance

Shares of Orchid Island Capital stock traded down $0.06 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $8.33. 2,599,322 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,028,117. Orchid Island Capital has a 1 year low of $7.41 and a 1 year high of $9.08. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $777.42 million, a P/E ratio of 13.89 and a beta of 1.90.

Orchid Island Capital (NYSE:ORC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.08. On average, equities analysts predict that Orchid Island Capital will post 0.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Orchid Island Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 17.28%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Orchid Island Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 240.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Orchid Island Capital

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position 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 during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new stake in Orchid Island Capital during the third quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Orchid Island Capital by 73.3% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,119 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 3,012 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Orchid Island Capital during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Finally, Mariner LLC bought a new stake in Orchid Island Capital during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 32.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ORC shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Orchid Island Capital from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Orchid Island Capital in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

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.