Handelsbanken Fonder AB Grows Stock Position in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) by 16.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 27,847 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in MFA Financial were worth $354,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new position in MFA Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its position in MFA Financial by 82.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,203 shares in the last quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new stake in MFA Financial during the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Quent Capital LLC increased its position in MFA Financial by 17.7% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 10,031 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 1,509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of MFA Financial in the first quarter worth about $128,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

MFA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MFA opened at $12.41 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $12.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.35. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.41 and a 52-week high of $13.45. The company has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -155.06 and a beta of 2.16.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 27th. MFA Financial’s payout ratio is presently -1,750.00%.

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.