MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Stock Price Passes Below 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)’s stock price passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $9.75 and traded as low as $9.42. MFA Financial shares last traded at $9.5150, with a volume of 3,861,315 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MFA. Citizens Jmp boosted their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $10.45.

MFA Financial Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $966.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $9.68 and its 200-day moving average is $9.75.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). MFA Financial had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 17.80%.The business had revenue of $43.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.52 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 15.1%. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 165.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MFA. Quarry LP bought a new stake in MFA Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 62.3% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,992 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 1,149 shares in the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of MFA Financial by 86.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,530 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 2,096 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of MFA Financial by 540.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 5,925 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

About MFA Financial

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.