62,136 Shares in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Acquired by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 62,136 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $633,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.06% of MFA Financial at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MFA. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in MFA Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $104,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in MFA Financial in the fourth quarter worth $110,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $121,000. 65.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

MFA Financial stock opened at $9.42 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $9.91 and a 200 day moving average of $10.50. MFA Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $7.85 and a one year high of $13.45. The stock has a market cap of $966.48 million, a PE ratio of 11.62 and a beta of 1.69.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.04). MFA Financial had a net margin of 16.47% and a return on equity of 9.61%. The company had revenue of $57.54 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.35 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from MFA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 15.29%. MFA Financial's payout ratio is currently 177.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MFA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JMP Securities dropped their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $12.50 to $12.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $13.60.

MFA Financial Profile

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.

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