MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) have earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $13.70.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MFA shares. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on MFA Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JMP Securities dropped their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of MFA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

MFA opened at $10.95 on Tuesday. MFA Financial has a 52-week low of $9.36 and a 52-week high of $13.45. The firm has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.51 and a beta of 2.18. The business’s fifty day moving average is $10.52 and its 200-day moving average is $11.20.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $50.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.06 million. MFA Financial had a net margin of 16.47% and a return on equity of 9.61%. On average, research analysts predict that MFA Financial will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from MFA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.16%. MFA Financial’s payout ratio is presently 177.78%.

Institutional Trading of MFA Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MFA. PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in MFA Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $140,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in MFA Financial by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 181,431 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,849,000 after purchasing an additional 23,950 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in MFA Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $137,000. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in MFA Financial by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 28,829 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 9,485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in MFA Financial by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,571,831 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $16,017,000 after purchasing an additional 68,846 shares in the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About MFA Financial

MFA Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a real estate investment trust in the United States. It invests in residential mortgage securities, including non-agency mortgage-backed securities, agency MBS, and credit risk transfer securities; residential whole loans, including purchased performing loans, purchased credit deteriorated, and non-performing loans; and mortgage servicing rights related assets.