MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Shares Acquired by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) by 20.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 355,795 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 59,850 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 0.35% of MFA Financial worth $3,626,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new stake in MFA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $104,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in MFA Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $110,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in MFA Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $121,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $124,000. 65.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:MFA traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $8.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,176,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 963,821. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $10.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.74. The company has a market capitalization of $921.18 million, a P/E ratio of 11.09 and a beta of 1.61. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $7.85 and a 12 month high of $13.45.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). MFA Financial had a return on equity of 9.61% and a net margin of 16.47%. The company had revenue of $50.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.06 million. As a group, analysts predict that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS 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 issued a $0.36 dividend. This is a boost from MFA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 16.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. MFA Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 177.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on MFA. StockNews.com downgraded MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. JMP Securities reduced their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $12.50 to $12.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $14.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $13.60.

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.