Analysts Set MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Target Price at $13.70

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) have earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the five research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $13.70.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MFA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. JMP Securities reduced their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price target on the stock.

MFA Financial Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of MFA opened at $10.31 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 2.11. The company’s fifty day moving average is $10.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.38. MFA Financial has a fifty-two week low of $9.36 and a fifty-two week high of $13.45.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $50.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.06 million. MFA Financial had a net margin of 16.47% and a return on equity of 9.61%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MFA Financial will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.59%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 172.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of MFA Financial by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 112,520 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,431,000 after purchasing an additional 14,333 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of MFA Financial by 38.7% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 898,212 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $11,425,000 after purchasing an additional 250,535 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its position in shares of MFA Financial by 35.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 4,583,087 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $58,297,000 after purchasing an additional 1,197,220 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $189,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,509,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

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.