MFA Financial’s (MFA) “Market Outperform” Rating Reaffirmed at JMP Securities

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA)‘s stock had its “market outperform” rating reissued by analysts at JMP Securities in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $12.50 price objective on the real estate investment trust’s stock. JMP Securities’ target price points to a potential upside of 20.42% from the company’s previous close.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of MFA traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $10.38. 62,696 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 762,596. MFA Financial has a 1-year low of $8.41 and a 1-year high of $11.90. The stock has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.93 and a beta of 2.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $11.05 and its 200 day moving average is $10.69.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $169.88 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.75 million. MFA Financial had a return on equity of 9.44% and a net margin of 13.24%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that MFA Financial will post 1.47 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 55.6% during the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,131,213 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $9,823,000 after acquiring an additional 404,416 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its stake in MFA Financial by 11.5% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 27,712 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $447,000 after buying an additional 2,859 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 6.4% during the first quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 905,700 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,650,000 after buying an additional 54,553 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in shares of MFA Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in MFA Financial by 113.6% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,127,278 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $8,573,000 after acquiring an additional 1,131,300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.