MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Research Coverage Started at Janney Montgomery Scott

Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on shares of MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) in a research report released on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $14.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $12.50 to $13.50 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Raymond James raised their price objective on MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MFA Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.00.

MFA Financial Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MFA opened at $10.34 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of 6.50 and a beta of 2.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $11.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.55. MFA Financial has a 12-month low of $9.88 and a 12-month high of $13.45.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.54%. MFA Financial’s payout ratio is 88.05%.

Institutional Trading of MFA Financial

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in MFA Financial by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,081,225 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $13,753,000 after buying an additional 23,852 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in MFA Financial by 6.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 448,989 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,572,000 after purchasing an additional 28,382 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in MFA Financial by 0.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,407,455 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $30,629,000 after purchasing an additional 21,331 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its position in MFA Financial by 902.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 374,481 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,764,000 after purchasing an additional 337,142 shares during the period. Finally, Zacks Investment Management boosted its holdings in MFA Financial by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 11,377 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $145,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MFA Financial Company Profile

MFA Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a real estate investment trust in the United States. It invests in residential mortgage securities, including non-agency mortgage-backed securities, agency MBS, and credit risk transfer securities; residential whole loans, including purchased performing loans, purchased credit deteriorated, and non-performing loans; and mortgage servicing rights related assets.