MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Shares Bought by LSV Asset Management

LSV Asset Management raised its holdings in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 493,125 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,500 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in MFA Financial were worth $5,025,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MFA. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 902.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 374,481 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,764,000 after buying an additional 337,142 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in MFA Financial by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,895,670 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $19,317,000 after acquiring an additional 60,261 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in MFA Financial by 74.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 157,481 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,003,000 after purchasing an additional 67,449 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $428,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,407,455 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $30,629,000 after purchasing an additional 21,331 shares in the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MFA Financial Stock Down 0.3 %

MFA stock opened at $8.16 on Monday. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $7.85 and a 52 week high of $13.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $836.08 million, a P/E ratio of 10.07 and a beta of 1.61.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $50.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.06 million. MFA Financial had a return on equity of 9.61% and a net margin of 16.47%. On average, analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.36 dividend. This is an increase from MFA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 17.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 177.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. JMP Securities cut their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.70.

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.