MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $10.09 and last traded at $10.09, with a volume of 18553 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $10.22.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MFA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JMP Securities lifted their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $12.50 to $13.50 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. StockNews.com cut MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Raymond James increased their target price on MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $15.00 price target on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MFA Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $14.00.

MFA Financial Stock Down 0.3 %

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.41 and a beta of 2.12.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.05%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,081,225 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $13,753,000 after purchasing an additional 23,852 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in MFA Financial by 6.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 448,989 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,572,000 after buying an additional 28,382 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 0.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,407,455 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,629,000 after buying an additional 21,331 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 902.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 374,481 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,764,000 after buying an additional 337,142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zacks Investment Management lifted its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 12.7% in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

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.