Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Buys 502,840 Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,085,927 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 502,840 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in MFA Financial were worth $51,824,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 4.8% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 52,660 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 2,423 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in MFA Financial during the third quarter valued at about $392,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in MFA Financial by 16.8% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 27,847 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Castleview Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MFA Financial in the third quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in MFA Financial by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 112,520 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,431,000 after acquiring an additional 14,333 shares in the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MFA Financial Stock Down 0.2 %

MFA Financial stock opened at $10.71 on Friday. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.36 and a 52-week high of $13.45. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $10.41 and its 200 day moving average is $11.41. The company has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 2.11.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.07%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. MFA Financial’s payout ratio is 88.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MFA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JMP Securities decreased their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. StockNews.com cut shares of MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MFA Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.80.

About MFA Financial

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.