Caxton Associates LLP Makes New $1.72 Million Investment in MFA Financial, Inc. $MFA

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP has acquired 167,318 shares of MFA Financial, Inc., valued at approximately $1.7 million, representing 0.16% ownership in the real estate investment trust.
• Other institutional investors such as Vaughan Nelson Investment Management and EMG Holdings have also increased their stakes in MFA Financial significantly during the first quarter, indicating strong institutional interest.
• MFA Financial recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.36, translating to an annual yield of 13.9%, despite a payout ratio exceeding 165%.

Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 167,318 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,717,000. Caxton Associates LLP owned approximately 0.16% of MFA Financial as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in MFA Financial in the first quarter valued at $259,000. EMG Holdings L.P. grew its position in MFA Financial by 178.8% in the first quarter. EMG Holdings L.P. now owns 608,054 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $6,239,000 after acquiring an additional 389,954 shares during the period. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. acquired a new position in MFA Financial during the first quarter worth $189,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the first quarter valued at $144,000. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MFA Financial Stock Down 0.9%

MFA stock traded down $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $10.11. The company had a trading volume of 833,973 shares, compared to its average volume of 896,713. The stock has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.61 and a beta of 1.68. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $7.85 and a 12 month high of $13.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $9.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.72.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $61.28 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.50 million. MFA Financial had a net margin of 17.62% and a return on equity of 8.61%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. MFA Financial's payout ratio is 165.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MFA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of MFA Financial from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $12.00 to $10.00 in a report on Thursday, July 10th. JMP Securities dropped their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $10.00 target price on MFA Financial and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Jones Trading reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $12.14.

MFA Financial Profile

MFA Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a real estate investment trust in the United States. It invests in residential mortgage securities, including non-agency mortgage-backed securities, agency MBS, and credit risk transfer securities; residential whole loans, including purchased performing loans, purchased credit deteriorated, and non-performing loans; and mortgage servicing rights related assets.