Analysts Set MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) PT at $13.00

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $13.40.

A number of research firms have issued reports on MFA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of MFA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. JMP Securities lifted their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $12.50 to $13.50 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Wedbush boosted their price target on MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Raymond James raised their price objective on MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday.

MFA Financial Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MFA opened at $13.17 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a P/E ratio of -164.63 and a beta of 2.16. MFA Financial has a 52-week low of $8.41 and a 52-week high of $13.45. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $11.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.21.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 27th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.63%. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,750.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 160.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,779,082 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $98,940,000 after purchasing an additional 5,411,692 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in MFA Financial during the 1st quarter valued at about $860,000. Clayton Partners LLC acquired a new position in MFA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,071,000. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of MFA Financial by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 18,392 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 1,447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 82.7% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,658 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,203 shares during the period. 65.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MFA Financial Company 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.