MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) shares saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 857,885 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 10% from the previous session’s volume of 948,876 shares.The stock last traded at $8.77 and had previously closed at $8.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price target on the stock. JMP Securities cut their price target on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. StockNews.com cut MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $13.70.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $899.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 1.61. The business has a 50-day moving average of $10.30 and a 200-day moving average of $10.83.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). The company 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%. Equities analysts predict that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is a positive change from MFA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 16.42%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 177.78%.

Institutional Trading of MFA Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 11,890 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 1,134 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 174,183 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,775,000 after acquiring an additional 1,224 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in MFA Financial by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 166,046 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,692,000 after purchasing an additional 2,287 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in MFA Financial by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 59,597 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 2,328 shares during the period. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its position in MFA Financial by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 13,148 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 2,610 shares in the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.