MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at Jones Trading

Equities research analysts at Jones Trading initiated coverage on shares of MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set a "hold" rating on the real estate investment trust's stock.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on MFA. JMP Securities cut their target price on MFA Financial from $12.50 to $12.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on MFA Financial from $12.50 to $12.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $10.00 price target on MFA Financial and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MFA Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $12.92.

MFA Financial Price Performance

MFA Financial stock traded down $0.17 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $9.57. 923,551 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,103,014. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $9.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $9.95. MFA Financial has a 12-month low of $7.85 and a 12-month high of $13.45. The company has a market capitalization of $981.95 million, a P/E ratio of 9.78 and a beta of 1.63.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,895,670 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $19,317,000 after buying an additional 60,261 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 31.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 124,317 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,267,000 after purchasing an additional 29,584 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in MFA Financial by 50.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 84,502 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $861,000 after buying an additional 28,348 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in MFA Financial by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,223,112 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $12,464,000 after acquiring an additional 177,067 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,006,842 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $10,260,000 after purchasing an additional 97,945 shares during the period. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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