MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Hits New 12-Month High at $13.45

MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) shares hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $13.45 and last traded at $13.22, with a volume of 123240 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.15.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MFA shares. Wedbush upped their target price on MFA Financial from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on MFA Financial from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of MFA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, JMP Securities raised their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $12.50 to $13.50 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $13.00.

MFA Financial Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -164.38 and a beta of 2.16. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.20.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 27th. MFA Financial’s payout ratio is -1,750.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MFA Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MFA. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in MFA Financial by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,729,687 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $19,494,000 after acquiring an additional 51,010 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC lifted its position in MFA Financial by 45.1% during the fourth quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 36,802 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $415,000 after buying an additional 11,431 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in MFA Financial during the fourth quarter worth $7,910,000. Clayton Partners LLC purchased a new stake in MFA Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $1,071,000. Finally, Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. 65.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MFA Financial Company Profile

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.