MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Hits Expectations

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The real estate investment trust reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.27, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $88.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.56 million. MFA Financial had a return on equity of 7.26% and a net margin of 17.51%.During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share.

MFA Financial Stock Up 3.3%

NYSE MFA traded up $0.32 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $10.24. 148,707 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,449,318. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.03 and a beta of 1.59. MFA Financial has a 12-month low of $7.85 and a 12-month high of $11.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.58.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.1%. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 169.41%.

Institutional Trading of MFA Financial

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quarry LP purchased a new position in MFA Financial in the third quarter worth $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 62.3% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,992 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 1,149 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 540.5% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 5,925 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in MFA Financial by 23.9% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,340 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 1,417 shares during the period. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in MFA Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MFA shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on MFA Financial from $10.50 to $10.25 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded MFA Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of MFA Financial from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MFA Financial presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.31.

MFA Financial Company Profile

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.