Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Acquires 502,840 Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its position in shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) by 11.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,085,927 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 502,840 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 4.98% of MFA Financial worth $51,824,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zacks Investment Management lifted its holdings in MFA Financial by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 11,377 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $145,000 after buying an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in MFA Financial during the third quarter worth $25,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of MFA Financial by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 52,660 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $560,000 after buying an additional 2,423 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in shares of MFA Financial by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 27,847 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Finally, Castleview Partners LLC bought a new stake in MFA Financial in the third quarter valued at $79,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on MFA. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $15.00 price objective on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of MFA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $14.00 target price for the company. Finally, JMP Securities cut their target price on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MFA Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $13.80.

MFA Financial Trading Down 1.9 %

NYSE:MFA traded down $0.20 on Wednesday, hitting $10.56. The company had a trading volume of 1,371,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 946,710. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $10.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.64 and a beta of 2.11. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.36 and a 52 week high of $13.45.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.26%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. MFA Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.05%.

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.