MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) Short Interest Down 20.1% in April

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,675,062 shares, a decrease of 20.1% from the March 31st total of 3,348,824 shares. Currently, 2.7% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,212,313 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MFA shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on MFA Financial from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.81.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

NYSE MFA traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $10.40. The company had a trading volume of 1,221,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,219,878. MFA Financial has a 1-year low of $8.78 and a 1-year high of $10.56. The company has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of 8.06 and a beta of 1.48. The business has a 50 day moving average of $9.98 and a 200-day moving average of $9.68.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27. MFA Financial had a return on equity of 6.67% and a net margin of 23.73%.The business had revenue of $88.72 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.56 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.39 earnings per share.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.9%. MFA Financial’s payout ratio is 111.63%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its position in MFA Financial by 62.3% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in MFA Financial by 86.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,530 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in MFA Financial by 540.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 5,925 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in MFA Financial by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,340 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 1,417 shares during the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MFA Financial Company Profile

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.