MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Sees Large Volume Increase - Here's What Happened

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 4,014,932 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 349% from the previous session's volume of 895,124 shares.The stock last traded at $8.75 and had previously closed at $8.56.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MFA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report 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 dropped their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $14.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $13.70.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $10.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.85. The firm has a market cap of $884.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.65 and a beta of 1.61.

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MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $50.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.06 million. MFA Financial had a return on equity of 9.61% and a net margin of 16.47%. Research analysts anticipate that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.36 dividend. This is a boost from MFA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 16.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. MFA Financial's payout ratio is currently 177.78%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new position in MFA Financial in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in MFA Financial by 823.4% in the 4th 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 acquired a new position in MFA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in MFA Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $104,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.