117,117 Shares in MFA Financial, Inc. $MFA Purchased by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems acquired 117,117 shares of MFA Financial worth approximately $1.14 million, while institutional investors collectively own 65.28% of the company.
• MFA Financial shares opened at $8.56, near their 52-week low of $8.53 and below both their 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the stock has a consensus “Hold” rating and a $10.46 target price, with recent upgrades from BTIG Research but a downgrade from Weiss Ratings.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 117,117 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,135,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned about 0.12% of MFA Financial at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the first quarter worth approximately $259,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in MFA Financial by 16.2% during 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 acquiring an additional 96,365 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in MFA Financial by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 167,481 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,584,000 after acquiring an additional 11,800 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in MFA Financial by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 62,090 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $587,000 after acquiring an additional 3,146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in MFA Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $716,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.28% of the company's stock.

MFA Financial Stock Up 0.1%

MFA opened at $8.56 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $9.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.52. The company has a market capitalization of $865.84 million, a P/E ratio of 8.56 and a beta of 1.41. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.53 and a 52 week high of $10.43.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded MFA Financial from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $10.00 price target on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Citizens Jmp decreased their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $11.50 to $11.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, BTIG Research raised 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 report on Wednesday, June 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.46.

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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