ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. vs Essex Property Trust, Inc. — how do they compare? ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. trades at $16.71 (market cap $2.05B), while Essex Property Trust, Inc. trades at $282.11 (market cap $18.20B). The key difference: Essex Property Trust, Inc. is far larger — about 8.9× ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc.'s market cap, and ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. pays the higher dividend (17.41%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARR | ESS | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $2.05B | $18.20B |
Sector | Financials | Real Estate |
52-Week High | $19.12 | $298.33 |
52-Week Low | $14.05 | $239.61 |
Dividend Yield | 17.41% | 3.66% |
Enterprise Value | — | $24.80B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ARMOUR Residential REIT (ARR) trades at $16.68, up 0.79% with a bullish technical signal despite mixed earnings performance. The REIT shows strong profitability with 97.43% net income margin and 19.74% ROE, trading below book value at P/B of 0.92. Recent quarterly results show alternating beats and misses, with Q2 2026 EPS of $0.72 slightly missing expectations. The company maintains consistent dividend payments of $0.24 quarterly, supporting income investor appeal.
ARR presents a value opportunity with attractive dividend yield but faces earnings volatility and high leverage risks. Analyst consensus is cautious with 60% hold ratings, reflecting concerns about mortgage REIT sensitivity to interest rates. The stock's technical position near key support at $16 suggests near-term stability, but investors should monitor interest rate environment impacts on mortgage-backed securities portfolio performance.
ESS trades at $288.1, up 1.05% daily, with a neutral technical signal and support near $284. The stock shows strong profitability with a 21.48% net margin and recent Q2 2026 earnings miss on EPS but beat on FFO, leading to raised full-year guidance. Revenue growth is steady, reaching $1.89B in 2025, though net income declined to $670M from $742M in 2024.
Outlook is cautiously optimistic with a consensus price target of $305.86, implying ~6% upside. Risks include high debt levels (debt-to-asset ratio of 51.92% in 2024) and regional economic exposure. Analyst sentiment is mixed with 40% buy ratings, but institutional interest grew with Amundi increasing its stake in Q1 2026.
Trailing returns across standard periods
ARMOUR Residential REIT Inc is a real estate investment trust that invests in residential mortgage-backed securities or RMBS. These are issued or guaranteed by U.S.-government-sponsored enterprises, such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or Ginnie Mae. The company's investment portfolio is composed of mortgage-backed securities, adjustable-rate mortgage securities, and multifamily mortgage-backed securities. In terms of total fair value, most Armour's investments are long-term, fixed-rate agency RMBS. Multifamily RMBS also represents a substantial amount. Fannie Mae guarantees most of the company's holdings. Armour derives substantially all its revenue as interest income from its investments.
Read more on ARR →Essex Property Trust owns a portfolio of 253 apartment communities with over 62,000 units and is developing three additional properties with 571 units. The company focuses on owning large, high-quality properties on the West Coast in the urban and suburban submarkets of Southern California, Northern California, and Seattle.
Read more on ESS →