MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Should You Buy?

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 857,885 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 10% from the previous session's volume of 948,876 shares.The stock last traded at $8.77 and had previously closed at $8.62.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on MFA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $14.00 price objective on the stock. JMP Securities dropped their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $12.50 to $12.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MFA Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $13.60.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $921.18 million, a P/E ratio of 11.09 and a beta of 1.61.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). MFA Financial had a return on equity of 9.61% and a net margin of 16.47%. The business had revenue of $50.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.06 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 16.03%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from MFA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. MFA Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 177.78%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MFA. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in MFA Financial by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 11,890 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 1,134 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in MFA Financial by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 174,183 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,775,000 after buying an additional 1,224 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in MFA Financial by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,771 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $367,000 after buying an additional 2,092 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in MFA Financial by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 166,046 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,692,000 after buying an additional 2,287 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in MFA Financial by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 59,597 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 2,328 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.28% of the company's stock.

About MFA Financial

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.