MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $12.07.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. JMP Securities dropped their price target on MFA Financial from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $10.00 price objective on MFA Financial and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut MFA Financial from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their target price for the company from $12.00 to $10.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Jones Trading raised shares of MFA Financial to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th.

MFA Financial Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE MFA traded down $0.06 during trading on Monday, reaching $9.42. 1,012,538 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,217,751. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $9.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.86. The firm has a market cap of $966.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.61 and a beta of 1.63. MFA Financial has a fifty-two week low of $7.85 and a fifty-two week high of $13.45.

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

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 15.29%. MFA Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 146.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MFA. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MFA Financial by 823.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,278 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,923 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in MFA Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.