MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $5.88 and last traded at $5.9350, with a volume of 255,071 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $5.97.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MFA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Citizens Jmp decreased their target price on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $8.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded MFA Financial from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $10.00 price target on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, William Blair set a $11.00 price target on MFA Financial in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.79.

MFA Financial Trading Down 1.6%

The stock has a market cap of $593.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.86 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.07.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of ($84.47) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.52 million. MFA Financial had a positive return on equity of 9.82% and a negative net margin of 1.48%.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 30th. Investors of record on Monday, October 5th were given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 24.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 5th. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -266.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 240,408 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,885,000 after acquiring an additional 7,299 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of MFA Financial by 5.0% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 122,620 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $963,000 after purchasing an additional 5,802 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the third quarter worth $83,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al boosted its holdings in MFA Financial by 6.8% during the third quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 125,117 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $982,000 after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MFA Financial by 11.1% during the third quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 30,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

About MFA Financial

MFA Financial, Inc. is a real estate investment trust focused on residential mortgage assets. The company invests in mortgage-backed securities and residential mortgage loans, including loans that it acquires or originates. Its portfolio includes agency and non-agency mortgage-backed securities, as well as whole loans secured by residential properties. Through its subsidiary Lima One Capital, MFA also provides financing to real estate investors, including loans for property renovation and rental housing.