MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on MFA Financial, with four buys, two holds and one sell among seven covering firms. The average 12-month price target is $10.46, above the stock’s reported $8.37 price.
• MFA shares were down 1.6% and trading near the bottom of their 12-month range, with a 50-day moving average of $9.00 and a 200-day average of $9.46.
• Institutional investors own 65.28% of MFA Financial; several institutions initiated or increased positions during the second quarter, including Corient Private Wealth, which raised its stake by 60.1%.

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the seven research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $10.4583.

MFA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $10.00 price target on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. BTIG Research upgraded shares of MFA Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $10.50 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Citizens Jmp lowered their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $11.50 to $11.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings downgraded MFA Financial from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Tuesday, August 4th.

MFA Financial Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:MFA opened at $8.37 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $845.62 million, a PE ratio of 8.37 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $9.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.46. MFA Financial has a twelve month low of $8.36 and a twelve month high of $10.43.

Institutional Trading of MFA Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MFA. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in MFA Financial in the 2nd quarter worth about $226,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Corient Private Wealth LP increased its position in shares of MFA Financial by 60.1% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 172,669 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,679,000 after buying an additional 64,845 shares during the period. Amundi purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the second quarter worth about $130,000. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the second quarter worth about $1,135,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.28% of the company's stock.

About MFA Financial

MFA Financial, Inc is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses primarily on residential mortgage assets. The company invests in and manages a portfolio that may include agency and non-agency mortgage-backed securities, residential whole loans, mortgage servicing rights and other residential credit investments.

MFA's investment activities are designed to provide exposure to the U.S. residential housing and mortgage markets. Through its affiliated businesses, the company also participates in residential lending, including financing for single-family rental properties and residential real estate investors.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in New York City, MFA Financial has operated as a publicly traded mortgage REIT since its initial public offering in 1998.

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