MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• MFA Financial received a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from seven analysts, with four buys and three holds. The average 12-month price target is $10.46, compared with the stock’s opening price of $8.93.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.36 per share, equal to $1.44 annually and a 16.1% yield; its payout ratio was reported at 144%.
• Institutional investors own 65.28% of MFA Financial, with firms including Goldman Sachs, Rhumbline Advisers and Russell Investments increasing their positions while AQR Capital and Norges Bank established new stakes.

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $10.4583.

A number of research firms have issued reports on MFA. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $10.00 price target on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Weiss Ratings raised MFA Financial from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. BTIG Research upgraded MFA Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $10.50 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Citizens Jmp dropped their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $11.50 to $11.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th.

MFA Financial Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MFA opened at $8.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $902.53 million, a PE ratio of 8.93 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $9.30 and a 200-day moving average of $9.62. MFA Financial has a 52-week low of $8.80 and a 52-week high of $10.56.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 16.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. MFA Financial's payout ratio is currently 144.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MFA. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the 1st quarter valued at $259,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in MFA Financial by 16.2% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 691,408 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $7,094,000 after purchasing an additional 96,365 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in MFA Financial by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 167,481 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,584,000 after purchasing an additional 11,800 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in MFA Financial by 5.3% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 62,090 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $587,000 after purchasing an additional 3,146 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in MFA Financial in the second quarter valued at about $716,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.28% of the company's stock.

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.

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