MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Sets New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $9.36 and last traded at $9.55, with a volume of 1646784 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.55.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on MFA shares. Raymond James boosted their price target on MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com cut MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $15.00 price target on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. They set 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $14.00.

MFA Financial Trading Up 2.5 %

The company has a market cap of $997.35 million, a P/E ratio of 6.14 and a beta of 2.11. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $10.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.51.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. MFA Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 171,755 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,827,000 after acquiring an additional 2,639 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in MFA Financial by 17.9% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 98,187 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 14,898 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in MFA Financial by 5.7% during the second quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 33,284 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 1,792 shares during the last quarter. Waterfall Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MFA Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $1,150,000. Finally, Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the 2nd quarter worth about $561,000. Institutional investors 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.