MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Given New $12.50 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) had its price target cut by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $13.50 to $12.50 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on MFA. JMP Securities lowered their price target on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price target on the stock. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $15.00 price target on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MFA Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.70.

MFA Financial Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE MFA opened at $10.36 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $10.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.38. MFA Financial has a 12-month low of $9.36 and a 12-month high of $13.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 2.11.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). MFA Financial had a return on equity of 9.61% and a net margin of 16.47%. The business had revenue of $50.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.06 million. Equities analysts forecast that MFA Financial will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 172.84%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new position in shares of MFA Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in MFA Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in MFA Financial by 823.4% in the fourth 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. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

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.