MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Posts Earnings Results, Hits Estimates

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The real estate investment trust reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.27, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $88.72 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.56 million. MFA Financial had a net margin of 17.51% and a return on equity of 7.26%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share.

MFA Financial Price Performance

NYSE MFA traded up $0.34 on Wednesday, reaching $10.26. 468,429 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,453,927. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.09 and a beta of 1.59. MFA Financial has a 12 month low of $7.85 and a 12 month high of $11.08. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.58.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 169.41%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MFA. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in MFA Financial by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 159,020 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after acquiring an additional 29,233 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in MFA Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $259,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in MFA Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $285,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $340,000. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of MFA Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $369,000. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MFA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded MFA Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MFA Financial from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $10.50 to $10.25 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.31.

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.