MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $14.00.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MFA. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com lowered MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price objective on MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th.

MFA Financial Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:MFA opened at $9.95 on Thursday. MFA Financial has a 1-year low of $9.88 and a 1-year high of $13.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 2.11. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $10.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.55.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.07%. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 88.05%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MFA. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 1.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 11,005,138 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $139,985,000 after acquiring an additional 111,331 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its position in shares of MFA Financial by 35.4% in the third quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 4,583,087 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $58,297,000 after purchasing an additional 1,197,220 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in MFA Financial by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,579,818 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,700,000 after purchasing an additional 151,321 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in MFA Financial by 0.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,407,455 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,629,000 after buying an additional 21,331 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of MFA Financial by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,835,409 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $23,346,000 after buying an additional 12,071 shares in the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.