MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Shares Purchased by Allianz Asset Management GmbH

Key Points

• Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in MFA Financial, raising its position by 17.8% and now owns about 0.81% of the company, valued at approximately $8.5 million.
• MFA Financial recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.36 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 15.18%, although the company's payout ratio is high at 146.94%.
• A variety of brokerages have recently adjusted their ratings and price targets for MFA Financial, with an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.07.

Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) by 17.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 830,830 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 125,328 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned about 0.81% of MFA Financial worth $8,524,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of MFA Financial by 823.4% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,278 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,923 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $121,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MFA. UBS Group increased their price target on MFA Financial from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $10.00 price target on MFA Financial and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Jones Trading raised MFA Financial to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. JMP Securities decreased their price objective on MFA Financial from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered MFA Financial from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $12.00 to $10.00 in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.07.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MFA opened at $9.49 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $9.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.86. The firm has a market cap of $973.64 million, a P/E ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 1.63. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $7.85 and a 1 year high of $13.45.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $57.54 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.80 million. MFA Financial had a net margin of 18.86% and a return on equity of 9.44%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.35 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 15.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. MFA Financial's payout ratio is currently 146.94%.

MFA Financial Company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MFA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.