Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Buys Shares of 370,383 MFA Financial, Inc. $MFA

Key Points

• Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management bought 370,383 shares of MFA Financial during the second quarter, valued at approximately $3.59 million and representing about 0.37% of the REIT. Institutional investors collectively own 65.28% of the stock.
• MFA Financial was trading at $8.85, near its one-year low of $8.77. The company recently paid a $0.36 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a $1.44 annualized payout and a 16.3% yield.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $10.46, compared with the current share price.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 370,383 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $3,589,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned about 0.37% of MFA Financial at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $91,667,000 after buying an additional 271,707 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in MFA Financial by 53.1% in the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,820,393 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $26,681,000 after buying an additional 977,820 shares during the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its position in MFA Financial by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 1,653,062 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $15,390,000 after acquiring an additional 139,559 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in MFA Financial by 9.2% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,647,612 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $15,586,000 after acquiring an additional 139,156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in MFA Financial by 6.7% during the third quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,286,163 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $11,820,000 after acquiring an additional 80,900 shares in the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MFA Financial Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE MFA opened at $8.85 on Friday. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $8.77 and a 1 year high of $10.56. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.59. The company has a market cap of $894.65 million, a P/E ratio of 8.85 and a beta of 1.42.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 16.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. MFA Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 144.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on MFA shares. William Blair set a $11.00 target price on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. 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 report on Wednesday, June 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MFA Financial from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Citizens Jmp decreased their price target on 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $10.46.

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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