Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Cuts Stock Position in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its stake in shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) by 53.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 87,095 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 100,996 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in MFA Financial were worth $888,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 174,183 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,775,000 after acquiring an additional 1,224 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management lifted its position in MFA Financial by 12.7% during the third quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 11,377 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $145,000 after buying an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 166,046 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,692,000 after purchasing an additional 2,287 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC increased its stake in MFA Financial by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 39,594 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $403,000 after acquiring an additional 7,220 shares during the last quarter. 65.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MFA Financial Stock Performance

MFA Financial stock opened at $10.37 on Wednesday. MFA Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $9.36 and a one year high of $13.45. The business has a fifty day moving average of $10.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.12. The company has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.80 and a beta of 2.18.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). MFA Financial had a return on equity of 9.61% and a net margin of 16.47%. The company had revenue of $50.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.06 million. Sell-side analysts predict that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

MFA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.89%. This is a positive change from MFA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. MFA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 177.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on MFA shares. JMP Securities decreased their price target 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 initiated coverage on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com downgraded MFA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on MFA Financial from $13.50 to $12.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.