The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Has $560,000 Stake in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 52,660 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,423 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.05% of MFA Financial worth $560,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 82.7% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,658 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,203 shares during the last quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in MFA Financial in the first quarter worth $34,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in MFA Financial by 17.7% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 10,031 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 1,509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $128,000. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MFA Financial Price Performance

MFA Financial stock opened at $12.56 on Wednesday. MFA Financial, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $8.41 and a fifty-two week high of $13.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -157.00 and a beta of 2.16. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.36.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 27th. MFA Financial’s payout ratio is presently -1,750.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush upped their price target on MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of MFA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, JMP Securities lifted their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $12.50 to $13.50 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $13.40.

About MFA Financial

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.