MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Stock Price Crosses Below Fifty Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)’s share price passed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $9.72 and traded as low as $9.21. MFA Financial shares last traded at $9.2250, with a volume of 1,259,586 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MFA shares. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.44.

MFA Financial Stock Down 1.4%

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $937.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.60 and a beta of 1.43.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MFA. Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in MFA Financial by 440.1% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,345,561 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $12,366,000 after buying an additional 1,096,443 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $26,681,000 after acquiring an additional 977,820 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $9,669,000 after acquiring an additional 617,759 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $7,444,000 after acquiring an additional 551,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $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.

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.