Barclays PLC Trims Stock Holdings in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)

Barclays PLC lowered its holdings in shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) by 21.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 294,110 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 80,371 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.29% of MFA Financial worth $2,998,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MFA. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in MFA Financial by 823.4% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,278 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,923 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth $104,000. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $110,000. Institutional investors own 65.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MFA has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $14.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JMP Securities cut their price target on MFA Financial from $12.50 to $12.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MFA Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $13.60.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

MFA traded up $0.22 during trading on Friday, hitting $9.98. The stock had a trading volume of 1,034,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 989,217. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.58. MFA Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $7.85 and a twelve month high of $13.45. The company has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 12.32 and a beta of 1.61.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). MFA Financial had a return on equity of 9.61% and a net margin of 16.47%. The business had revenue of $50.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $58.06 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.36 dividend. This is a positive change from MFA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. MFA Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 177.78%.

MFA Financial Company 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.