Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Lowers MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Price Target to $12.50

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) had its target price dropped by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $13.50 to $12.50 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective suggests a potential upside of 20.95% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on MFA. JMP Securities decreased their target price on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.70.

MFA Financial Price Performance

Shares of MFA opened at $10.34 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.38. The stock has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of 6.50 and a beta of 2.11. MFA Financial has a 1-year low of $9.36 and a 1-year high of $13.45.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). MFA Financial had a net margin of 28.38% and a return on equity of 9.97%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MFA Financial will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of MFA Financial

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MFA. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in MFA Financial by 823.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,278 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 2,923 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

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.