MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Shares Sold by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp lessened its holdings in shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) by 76.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,328 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 155,525 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in MFA Financial were worth $492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in MFA Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in MFA Financial by 823.4% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,278 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,923 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new stake in MFA Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in MFA Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $104,000. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in MFA Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $110,000. Institutional investors own 65.28% of the company's stock.

MFA Financial Price Performance

Shares of MFA Financial stock traded up $0.26 on Thursday, reaching $9.83. The company had a trading volume of 1,295,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,020,873. The firm has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.14 and a beta of 1.69. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $9.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.39. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $57.54 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $48.80 million. MFA Financial had a net margin of 16.47% and a return on equity of 9.61%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.35 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.36 dividend. This is a positive change from MFA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.65%. MFA Financial's payout ratio is presently 146.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on MFA. StockNews.com downgraded MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on MFA Financial from $12.50 to $12.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, JMP Securities dropped their target price on MFA Financial from $12.50 to $12.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $13.50.

MFA Financial 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.