MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) shares hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $8.60 and last traded at $8.5850, with a volume of 149637 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $8.75.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MFA has been the topic of several research reports. Citizens Jmp cut their target price on MFA Financial from $11.50 to $11.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. William Blair set a $11.00 target price on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MFA Financial from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $10.00 price target on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $10.46.

MFA Financial Trading Down 1.7%

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.54. The firm has a market cap of $869.58 million, a PE ratio of 8.61 and a beta of 1.41.

Institutional Trading of MFA Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MFA. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in MFA Financial in the first quarter valued at $259,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in MFA Financial by 16.2% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 691,408 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,094,000 after purchasing an additional 96,365 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in MFA Financial by 7.6% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 167,481 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,584,000 after purchasing an additional 11,800 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of MFA Financial by 5.3% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 62,090 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $587,000 after buying an additional 3,146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $716,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.