Brokerages Set MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) PT at $10.44

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $10.4375.

MFA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Wednesday, April 15th.

MFA Financial Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of MFA stock opened at $9.35 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $949.45 million, a PE ratio of 10.74 and a beta of 1.43. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.75. MFA Financial has a 12 month low of $8.78 and a 12 month high of $10.56.

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

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 15.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. MFA Financial’s payout ratio is currently 165.52%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new position in MFA Financial during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in MFA Financial by 13.7% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 118,244 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,133,000 after acquiring an additional 14,245 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in MFA Financial during the 1st quarter worth $248,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in MFA Financial by 20.1% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 48,397 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $464,000 after acquiring an additional 8,094 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in MFA Financial by 245.2% during the 1st 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 during the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.