MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Price Target Raised to $11.00

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) had its price target raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $10.00 to $11.00 in a research report report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a market perform rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on MFA. Weiss Ratings raised MFA Financial from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded MFA Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $10.50 to $10.25 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.56.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

NYSE MFA opened at $10.06 on Friday. MFA Financial has a one year low of $7.85 and a one year high of $11.08. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 7.79 and a beta of 1.59.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.27. MFA Financial had a net margin of 23.73% and a return on equity of 6.67%. The firm had revenue of $88.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that MFA Financial will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. MFA Financial’s payout ratio is currently 111.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its holdings in MFA Financial by 62.3% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,992 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in MFA Financial by 86.1% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,530 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in MFA Financial by 58.6% during the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 5,790 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 2,139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in MFA Financial by 540.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 5,925 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

MFA Financial Company Profile

MFA Financial, Inc, headquartered in New York City, is a real estate investment trust that specializes in investing in residential mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities. The company’s primary objective is to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through net interest income and capital appreciation. As a mortgage REIT, MFA Financial focuses on constructing a diversified portfolio of agency and non-agency residential mortgage assets, leveraging its expertise in acquiring, financing and servicing mortgage products.

MFA Financial’s investment portfolio encompasses a wide range of mortgage instruments, including adjustable-rate and fixed-rate mortgage loans, interest-only securities, and agency mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by government-sponsored entities.