Arbor Realty Trust: Insiders Load Up Amid Short-Seller Concerns

Arbor Realty Trust (ABR) faces a sharp conflict between insiders buying aggressively at 64% of book value and short-sellers holding 29.09% of the float. Insiders, including CEO Ivan Kaufman, have purchased 239,000 shares, while the company repurchased $20.0 million of stock and institutional investor Azora Capital added 646,728 shares. Bears point to $569.1 million in non-performing loans, a $68.90 million Q4 charge-off, and a dividend that exceeds distributable earnings. The stock has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell) and a dividend yield of 15.6%.