MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Given New $12.50 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $13.50 to $12.50 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the real estate investment trust's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' target price points to a potential upside of 21.30% from the stock's previous close.

MFA has been the subject of several other research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. JMP Securities reduced 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. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $15.00 price objective on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $14.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MFA Financial currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $13.70.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

MFA Financial stock traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $10.31. 1,474,891 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,090,856. MFA Financial has a 12-month low of $9.36 and a 12-month high of $13.45. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 2.11. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $10.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.38.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $50.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.06 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MFA Financial will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MFA. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in MFA Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $18,325,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its position in MFA Financial by 35.4% during the third 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 acquiring an additional 1,197,220 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in MFA Financial by 531.6% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 794,394 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $8,095,000 after acquiring an additional 668,618 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in MFA Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $3,564,000. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in MFA Financial by 902.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 374,481 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,764,000 after acquiring an additional 337,142 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.