MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) has received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the four research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $14.00.

MFA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on MFA Financial in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James raised their target price on MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. JMP Securities upped their price target on MFA Financial from $12.50 to $13.50 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $15.00 price objective on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new stake in MFA Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Castleview Partners LLC acquired a new stake in MFA Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $79,000. Zacks Investment Management grew 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 purchasing an additional 1,281 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MFA Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $189,000. 65.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MFA traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $10.21. The stock had a trading volume of 208,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 779,412. MFA Financial has a 1 year low of $9.88 and a 1 year high of $13.45. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $11.14 and its 200-day moving average is $11.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 2.12.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.71%. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 88.05%.

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.