MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $10.3125.

MFA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on MFA Financial from $10.50 to $10.25 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Wall Street Zen raised MFA Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MFA Financial from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th.

MFA Financial Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of MFA Financial stock opened at $9.68 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.55. The stock has a market cap of $989.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.39 and a beta of 1.59. MFA Financial has a 12-month low of $7.85 and a 12-month high of $11.08.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $101.03 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $57.40 million. MFA Financial had a net margin of 17.51% and a return on equity of 7.26%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.37 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that MFA Financial will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.9%. MFA Financial’s payout ratio is currently 169.41%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in MFA Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 62.3% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,992 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in MFA Financial by 40.7% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,321 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 1,250 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in MFA Financial by 86.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,530 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 2,096 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its position in MFA Financial by 540.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 5,925 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

About MFA Financial

MFA Financial, Inc, headquartered in New York City, is a real estate investment trust that specializes in investing in residential mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities. The company’s primary objective is to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through net interest income and capital appreciation. As a mortgage REIT, MFA Financial focuses on constructing a diversified portfolio of agency and non-agency residential mortgage assets, leveraging its expertise in acquiring, financing and servicing mortgage products.

MFA Financial’s investment portfolio encompasses a wide range of mortgage instruments, including adjustable-rate and fixed-rate mortgage loans, interest-only securities, and agency mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by government-sponsored entities.