MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Share Price Crosses Below Fifty Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)’s stock price passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $9.72 and traded as low as $9.21. MFA Financial shares last traded at $9.2250, with a volume of 1,259,586 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MFA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Citizens Jmp lifted their target price on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.44.

MFA Financial Price Performance

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.75. The stock has a market cap of $955.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.81 and a beta of 1.43.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last announced 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). The business had revenue of $43.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.52 million. MFA Financial had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 17.80%.During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.29 EPS.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 15.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. MFA Financial’s payout ratio is 165.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 62.3% in the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,992 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 1,149 shares during the period. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in MFA Financial by 86.1% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,530 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its position in MFA Financial by 540.5% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 5,925 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.