ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. vs iShares Gold Trust — how do they compare? ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. trades at $16.72 (market cap $2.07B), while iShares Gold Trust trades at $82.68. The key difference: ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. pays a 17.28% dividend while iShares Gold Trust pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARR | IAU | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $2.07B | — |
Sector | Financials | Commodities - Metals/Agriculture |
52-Week High | $19.12 | $101.57 |
52-Week Low | $14.05 | $62.49 |
Dividend Yield | 17.28% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ARMOUR Residential REIT (ARR) trades at $16.74, up 1.18% with neutral technical signals. The REIT shows strong profitability with 97.43% net income margin and attractive valuation at P/E of 3.78 and P/B of 0.91. Recent Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations at $0.72 per share versus $0.69 estimate. The company maintains consistent dividend payments with recent $0.24 distributions. Cash flow trends show operational stability despite significant investing activities.
ARR presents value opportunity with deep discount to book value and high dividend yield, though mixed earnings performance and heavy mortgage-backed securities exposure create volatility risk. Analyst consensus remains cautious with 60% hold rating, reflecting balanced outlook between attractive valuation and sector-specific headwinds.
IAU, the iShares Gold Trust ETF, is trading at $83.305, up 0.96% with a bullish technical signal overall. The ETF benefits from gold's recent momentum as spot gold approaches $4,430/oz amid cooling inflation data and geopolitical tensions. Moving averages show bullish alignment while oscillators indicate some overbought conditions. Recent news highlights gold's safe-haven appeal with institutional buying and positive price forecasts.
The outlook remains positive given gold's role as an inflation hedge and safe-haven asset, supported by central bank demand and favorable CPI data. Risks include potential Fed policy shifts and dollar strength. Conservative investors favor IAU for its low 0.25% expense ratio and lower volatility compared to mining equities.
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 →IAU is a physically backed ETF that seeks to reflect the performance of the price of gold. It provides a convenient and liquid way for investors to include gold in their portfolios as a potential hedge.
Read more on IAU →