MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 857,885 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 10% from the previous session’s volume of 948,876 shares.The stock last traded at $8.77 and had previously closed at $8.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented 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 report on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com cut MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities dropped 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $13.70.

MFA Financial Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $886.83 million, a P/E ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.80.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). MFA Financial had a net margin of 16.47% and a return on equity of 9.61%. The company had revenue of $50.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.06 million. On average, equities analysts predict that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. 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 16.65%. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 177.78%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 18.6% during the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 6,030,535 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $61,874,000 after purchasing an additional 944,608 shares in the last quarter. GraniteShares Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. GraniteShares Advisors LLC now owns 259,448 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,662,000 after buying an additional 15,720 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of MFA Financial by 2,416.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,190 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,383,000 after buying an additional 13,626 shares in the last quarter. PharVision Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth $140,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in MFA Financial by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 181,431 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,849,000 after acquiring an additional 23,950 shares in the last quarter. 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.