MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Stock Price Crosses Below Fifty Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)’s stock price passed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $9.72 and traded as low as $9.21. MFA Financial shares last traded at $9.2250, with a volume of 1,259,586 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MFA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Monday, May 4th. Citizens Jmp boosted their price target on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.44.

MFA Financial Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $937.22 million, a P/E ratio of 10.60 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $9.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.75.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $43.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.52 million. MFA Financial had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 17.80%.During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.29 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new position in shares of MFA Financial in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 13.7% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 118,244 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,133,000 after acquiring an additional 14,245 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of MFA Financial in the first quarter worth approximately $248,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 20.1% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 48,397 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $464,000 after acquiring an additional 8,094 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 245.2% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 777,025 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $7,444,000 after acquiring an additional 551,927 shares during the period. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About MFA Financial

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.