MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $13.40.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. JMP Securities boosted their price target on 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 upped their target price on MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com upgraded MFA Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Raymond James upped their target price on MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on MFA Financial from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MFA. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its holdings in MFA Financial by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 3,385,867 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $36,026,000 after purchasing an additional 205,300 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 17.7% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 822,696 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $8,753,000 after acquiring an additional 123,790 shares during the last quarter. Waterfall Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,150,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $860,000. Finally, Delphi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $685,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company's stock.

MFA Financial Price Performance

MFA Financial stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $12.26. 741,089 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 724,632. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $12.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.91 and a beta of 2.16. MFA Financial has a 1 year low of $9.44 and a 1 year high of $13.45.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.42%. MFA Financial's payout ratio is 241.38%.

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.