Summit Securities Group LLC Cuts Stock Position in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)

Summit Securities Group LLC decreased its stake in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) by 79.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,600 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 21,100 shares during the quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC’s holdings in MFA Financial were worth $57,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new position in MFA Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of MFA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $104,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $110,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $121,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $124,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

MFA Financial Trading Down 1.4 %

MFA Financial stock opened at $10.59 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.07 and a beta of 2.18. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $10.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.15. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.36 and a 12-month high of $13.45.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 9.61% and a net margin of 16.47%. The firm had revenue of $50.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.06 million. As a group, analysts forecast that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from MFA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 177.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.