MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Sees Large Volume Increase – Time to Buy?

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 857,885 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 10% from the previous session’s volume of 948,876 shares.The stock last traded at $8.77 and had previously closed at $8.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. JMP Securities decreased their target price on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.70.

MFA Financial Trading Up 1.7 %

The stock has a market cap of $899.14 million, a PE ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 1.61. The business has a 50 day moving average of $10.30 and a 200-day moving average of $10.83.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $50.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.06 million. MFA Financial had a net margin of 16.47% and a return on equity of 9.61%. Research analysts expect that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is an increase from MFA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 16.42%. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 177.78%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new position in MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in MFA Financial by 823.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,278 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,923 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in MFA Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in MFA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in MFA Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $104,000. 65.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.