MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning.

MFA has been the topic of a number of other reports. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JMP Securities dropped their price target on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $13.70.

MFA Financial Price Performance

Shares of MFA opened at $11.01 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 13.59 and a beta of 2.18. MFA Financial has a one year low of $9.36 and a one year high of $13.45.

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

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is a boost from MFA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.08%. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 177.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 11,890 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 1,134 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its position in MFA Financial by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 174,183 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,775,000 after buying an additional 1,224 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management lifted its stake in MFA Financial by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 11,377 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $145,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 166,046 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,692,000 after acquiring an additional 2,287 shares during the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is 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.