MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Stock Has Average Target Price of $10.29 According to Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is mixed: MFA Financial has a consensus “Hold” rating from seven analysts, with four buys, two holds and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $10.29.
• MFA shares opened at $6.71, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, while trading near the company’s 52-week low of $6.55.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.36 per share, equivalent to a 21.5% annualized yield, although its payout ratio is high at 144%. Institutional investors own 65.28% of the stock.

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $10.29.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Citizens Jmp cut their price target 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. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and set a $9.50 price target (down from $10.50) on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. William Blair set a $11.00 price objective on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $10.00 target price on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, August 20th.

MFA Financial Trading Up 0.4%

MFA stock opened at $6.71 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $8.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $9.18. MFA Financial has a 1-year low of $6.55 and a 1-year high of $10.43. The stock has a market cap of $677.81 million, a P/E ratio of 6.71 and a beta of 1.45.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Investors of record on Monday, October 5th will be paid a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 5th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 21.5%. MFA Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 144.00%.

Institutional Trading of MFA Financial

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in MFA Financial by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 9,459,988 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $91,667,000 after buying an additional 271,707 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in MFA Financial by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,576,990 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $25,869,000 after buying an additional 145,992 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised 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 valued at $7,444,000 after acquiring an additional 551,927 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in MFA Financial by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 537,991 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,213,000 after acquiring an additional 3,960 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in MFA Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,589,000. 65.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About MFA Financial

MFA Financial, Inc is a real estate investment trust that invests primarily in residential mortgage assets. The company focuses on generating income from a portfolio of residential mortgage loans, mortgage-backed securities and other mortgage-related investments.

Its investments may include agency and non-agency mortgage-backed securities, residential whole loans, credit-risk transfer securities and mortgage servicing rights. MFA also acquires and manages residential mortgage assets through subsidiaries and strategic investment relationships, with activities centered on the U.S.

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