MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Stock Price Passes Below 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $9.75 and traded as low as $9.42. MFA Financial shares last traded at $9.5150, with a volume of 3,861,315 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MFA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Monday, May 4th. Citizens Jmp upped their price objective on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MFA Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $10.45.

MFA Financial Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $966.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $9.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.75.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.01). MFA Financial had a net margin of 17.80% and a return on equity of 6.86%. The firm had revenue of $43.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.52 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.29 EPS.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 165.52%.

Institutional Trading of MFA Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MFA. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,149 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in MFA Financial by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 18,829 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $175,000 after acquiring an additional 1,211 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,417 shares during the last quarter. MAI Capital Management increased its position in MFA Financial by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 12,126 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 1,420 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in MFA Financial by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 102,007 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $965,000 after acquiring an additional 1,420 shares during the period. 65.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.