Corient Private Wealth LLC Acquires 49,407 Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)

Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) by 96.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 100,487 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,407 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in MFA Financial were worth $1,024,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 174,183 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,775,000 after buying an additional 1,224 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management lifted its holdings in MFA Financial by 12.7% in the third quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 11,377 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $145,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in MFA Financial by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 166,046 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,692,000 after acquiring an additional 2,287 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new position in MFA Financial in the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

MFA Financial Price Performance

Shares of MFA opened at $10.81 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.34 and a beta of 2.18. The company has a 50-day moving average of $10.56 and a 200 day moving average of $11.18. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.36 and a 1-year high of $13.45.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $50.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.06 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.33%. This is an increase from MFA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 177.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on MFA. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JMP Securities reduced their target price on shares of MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded MFA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $13.70.

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.