Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Has Lowered Expectations for MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Stock Price

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered its price target for MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and maintained a "market perform" rating, implying roughly a 3.8% upside; the consensus analyst rating is Hold with an average target of $10.69.
• MFA reported a quarterly earnings miss, with EPS of $0.30 versus $0.31 expected and revenue of $43.31 million well below the $67.52 million forecast, while posting a 6.67% ROE and a 23.73% net margin.
• Shares traded at $9.64 (market cap ≈ $979M, PE 7.45) with a 52‑week range of $8.78–$10.56, and roughly 65% of the stock is held by institutional investors.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $11.00 to $10.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "market perform" rating on the real estate investment trust's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price target points to a potential upside of 3.79% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Monday. Citizens Jmp increased their price target on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MFA Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.69.

MFA Financial Price Performance

NYSE MFA traded up $0.09 on Wednesday, hitting $9.64. 642,656 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,438,960. The company has a market capitalization of $978.92 million, a PE ratio of 7.45 and a beta of 1.47. The business's fifty day moving average is $9.97 and its 200 day moving average is $9.69. MFA Financial has a 52 week low of $8.78 and a 52 week high of $10.56.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $43.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.52 million. MFA Financial had a return on equity of 6.67% and a net margin of 23.73%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MFA. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its stake in MFA Financial by 62.3% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,992 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 1,149 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of MFA Financial by 86.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,530 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 2,096 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 540.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 5,925 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in MFA Financial by 23.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,340 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 1,417 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company's stock.

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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