UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Stock

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) had its price target raised by UBS Group from $9.50 to $10.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the real estate investment trust's stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $10.00 price objective on MFA Financial and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of MFA Financial from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $12.00 to $10.00 in a report on Thursday. JMP Securities dropped their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $12.50 to $12.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Jones Trading raised shares of MFA Financial to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.21.

MFA Financial Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE MFA traded down $0.13 on Thursday, hitting $9.35. 1,381,548 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,117,791. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $9.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $959.78 million, a PE ratio of 9.54 and a beta of 1.63. MFA Financial has a 1-year low of $7.85 and a 1-year high of $13.45.

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

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 15.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. MFA Financial's payout ratio is 146.94%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $18,325,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its holdings in MFA Financial by 18.6% in the 1st quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 6,030,535 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $61,874,000 after purchasing an additional 944,608 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in MFA Financial by 531.6% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 794,394 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $8,095,000 after purchasing an additional 668,618 shares during the last quarter. EMG Holdings L.P. grew its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 178.8% during the first quarter. EMG Holdings L.P. now owns 608,054 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $6,239,000 after buying an additional 389,954 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,564,000. 65.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.