MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Stock Price Passes Below 50 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)’s stock price passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $9.45 and traded as low as $9.27. MFA Financial shares last traded at $9.3250, with a volume of 1,008,948 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MFA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered MFA Financial from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MFA Financial has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.45.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $9.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.73. The firm has a market cap of $947.42 million, a P/E ratio of 10.72 and a beta of 1.41.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $43.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.52 million. MFA Financial had a net margin of 17.80% and a return on equity of 6.86%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 165.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in MFA Financial by 53.1% in the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,820,393 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,681,000 after purchasing an additional 977,820 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in MFA Financial by 152.8% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,022,065 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $9,669,000 after buying an additional 617,759 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 245.2% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 777,025 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,444,000 after buying an additional 551,927 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 112.1% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 778,019 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,150,000 after buying an additional 411,128 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of MFA Financial by 75.2% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 718,940 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,693,000 after buying an additional 308,491 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

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.