Royal Bank Of Canada Has Lowered Expectations for MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Stock Price

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) had its price target decreased by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $11.00 to $10.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “sector perform” rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price points to a potential upside of 8.58% from the stock’s current price.

MFA has been the subject of a number of other reports. Citizens Jmp raised their price target on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Monday, May 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.44.

MFA Financial Price Performance

Shares of MFA Financial stock traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $9.21. 905,284 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,416,841. The firm has a market cap of $935.74 million, a P/E ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 1.43. MFA Financial has a 52 week low of $8.78 and a 52 week high of $10.56. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.75.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $43.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.52 million. MFA Financial had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 17.80%.During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.29 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MFA. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in MFA Financial by 440.1% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,345,561 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $12,366,000 after acquiring an additional 1,096,443 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in MFA Financial by 53.1% during the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,820,393 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,681,000 after acquiring an additional 977,820 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in MFA Financial by 152.8% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,022,065 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $9,669,000 after acquiring an additional 617,759 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in MFA Financial by 245.2% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 777,025 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $7,444,000 after acquiring an additional 551,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in MFA Financial by 112.1% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 778,019 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $7,150,000 after acquiring an additional 411,128 shares in the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MFA Financial Company Profile

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.