JMP Securities Issues Pessimistic Forecast for MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Stock Price

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by investment analysts at JMP Securities from $12.50 to $12.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "market outperform" rating on the real estate investment trust's stock. JMP Securities' price target indicates a potential upside of 32.03% from the stock's previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. StockNews.com cut MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $13.60.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MFA traded up $0.22 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $9.09. 534,772 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 963,150. MFA Financial has a 12-month low of $7.85 and a 12-month high of $13.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $10.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.70. The firm has a market cap of $931.84 million, a P/E ratio of 11.23 and a beta of 1.61.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $50.80 million during 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 analysts expect that MFA Financial will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of MFA Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in MFA Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in MFA Financial by 823.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,278 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,923 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in MFA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new position in MFA Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $104,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.28% of the company's stock.

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.