MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Receives Average Rating of "Buy" from Brokerages

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Buy" from the five analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $14.00.

Several equities research analysts have commented on MFA shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. JMP Securities upped their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $12.50 to $13.50 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Raymond James increased their target price on MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday. They set a "buy" rating and a $14.00 price objective on the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MFA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,081,225 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $13,753,000 after buying an additional 23,852 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in MFA Financial by 6.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 448,989 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $5,572,000 after acquiring an additional 28,382 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in MFA Financial by 0.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,407,455 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $30,629,000 after acquiring an additional 21,331 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in MFA Financial by 902.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 374,481 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $4,764,000 after acquiring an additional 337,142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zacks Investment Management raised its position in MFA Financial by 12.7% during the third quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 11,377 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $145,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:MFA traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $10.22. The stock had a trading volume of 956,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 779,412. The stock has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.43 and a beta of 2.12. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.56. MFA Financial has a 12-month low of $9.88 and a 12-month high of $13.45.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.70%. MFA Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 88.05%.

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.