MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $8.76 and last traded at $8.83, with a volume of 1294067 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $8.83.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded MFA Financial from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. BTIG Research upgraded MFA Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $10.50 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, William Blair set a $11.00 price objective on MFA Financial in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MFA Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $10.46.

MFA Financial Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $892.12 million, a PE ratio of 8.82 and a beta of 1.41. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $9.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.57.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 16.3%. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 144.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MFA Financial

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MFA. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the third quarter worth $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in MFA Financial by 62.3% in the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,992 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares during the period. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new position in MFA Financial in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in MFA Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in MFA Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

About MFA Financial

MFA Financial, Inc, headquartered in New York City, is a real estate investment trust that specializes in investing in residential mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities. The company’s primary objective is to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through net interest income and capital appreciation. As a mortgage REIT, MFA Financial focuses on constructing a diversified portfolio of agency and non-agency residential mortgage assets, leveraging its expertise in acquiring, financing and servicing mortgage products.

MFA Financial’s investment portfolio encompasses a wide range of mortgage instruments, including adjustable-rate and fixed-rate mortgage loans, interest-only securities, and agency mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by government-sponsored entities.