MFA Financial, Inc. $MFA Shares Sold by Voya Investment Management LLC

Voya Investment Management LLC lessened its position in shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 329,663 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 72,015 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in MFA Financial were worth $3,030,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its holdings in MFA Financial by 62.3% in the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,992 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in MFA Financial by 40.7% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,321 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in MFA Financial by 58.6% during the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 5,790 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 2,139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in MFA Financial by 23.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,340 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 1,417 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.28% of the company’s stock.

MFA Financial Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE MFA opened at $9.73 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.50. The firm has a market cap of $993.86 million, a PE ratio of 11.44 and a beta of 1.61. MFA Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $7.85 and a 52 week high of $11.08.

MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $101.03 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.40 million. MFA Financial had a return on equity of 7.26% and a net margin of 17.51%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.37 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that MFA Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

MFA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. MFA Financial’s payout ratio is presently 169.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MFA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised MFA Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of MFA Financial from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of MFA Financial from $10.50 to $10.25 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.05.

MFA Financial Profile

MFA Financial, Inc, headquartered in New York City, is a real estate investment trust that specializes in investing in residential mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities. The company’s primary objective is to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through net interest income and capital appreciation. As a mortgage REIT, MFA Financial focuses on constructing a diversified portfolio of agency and non-agency residential mortgage assets, leveraging its expertise in acquiring, financing and servicing mortgage products.

MFA Financial’s investment portfolio encompasses a wide range of mortgage instruments, including adjustable-rate and fixed-rate mortgage loans, interest-only securities, and agency mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by government-sponsored entities.