MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Stock Holdings Trimmed by EMG Holdings L.P.

EMG Holdings L.P. lessened its stake in shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) by 52.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 218,100 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 239,345 shares during the quarter. MFA Financial makes up approximately 1.3% of EMG Holdings L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. EMG Holdings L.P. owned 0.21% of MFA Financial worth $2,222,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MFA. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in MFA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $104,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in MFA Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $110,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MFA Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $121,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company's stock.

MFA Financial Trading Down 5.4 %

NYSE MFA traded down $0.55 on Friday, hitting $9.59. 2,127,292 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 860,121. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $10.58 and a 200 day moving average of $11.06. MFA Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $9.36 and a twelve month high of $13.45. The company has a market capitalization of $982.69 million, a P/E ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 1.61.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $50.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.06 million. MFA Financial had a return on equity of 9.61% and a net margin of 16.47%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 15.02%. This is a boost from MFA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. MFA Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 177.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on MFA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com lowered shares of MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. JMP Securities decreased their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $13.70.

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.