Almitas Capital LLC Acquires New Holdings in MFA Financial, Inc. $MFA

Key Points

• Almitas Capital acquired 128,086 shares of MFA Financial during the second quarter, valued at approximately $1.24 million. Institutional investors collectively own 65.28% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive, with MFA Financial carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $10.46, compared with its recent share price of $8.86.
• MFA Financial paid a quarterly dividend of $0.36 per share, implying an annualized dividend of $1.44 and a high 16.3% yield; its payout ratio stands at 144%.

Almitas Capital LLC purchased a new stake in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 128,086 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,241,000. Almitas Capital LLC owned approximately 0.13% of MFA Financial as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in MFA Financial by 53.1% during the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,820,393 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $26,681,000 after acquiring an additional 977,820 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of MFA Financial by 152.8% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,022,065 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $9,669,000 after purchasing an additional 617,759 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 551,927 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 112.1% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 778,019 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $7,150,000 after purchasing an additional 411,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $3,589,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MFA shares. Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MFA Financial from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. 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. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered 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 note on Tuesday, August 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MFA Financial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $10.46.

MFA Financial Price Performance

Shares of MFA stock opened at $8.86 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $895.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.86 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a fifty day moving average of $9.27 and a 200 day moving average of $9.60. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $8.77 and a 1 year high of $10.56.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 16.3%. MFA Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 144.00%.

MFA Financial 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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