May 11, 2023 – &Van ECK Associates Corp, a top investment management firm, recently reported that it increased its stake in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. According to the company, it now owns approximately 0.40% of MFA Financial and its stock is worth $3,963,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
MFA Financial is a real estate investment trust that specializes in investing on a leveraged basis in residential mortgage assets such as agency mortgage-backed securities, non-Agency mortgage backed securities and residential whole loans. The company was founded by Stewart Zimmerman on July 24, 1997 and is headquartered in New York City.
This announcement comes after MFA Financial recently announced a quarterly dividend which was paid on Friday, April 28th. The company’s stockholders of record on Friday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share representing an annualized dividend of $1.40 per share and a dividend yield of about 13.57%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th.
Despite negative payout ratios for MFA Financial which fell to -129.63%, Van ECK Associates Corp still showed great interest in this platform by acquiring additional shares during Q4. By doing so, Van ECK Associates Corp has made their position known as they take advantage of the robust performance forecasted by real estate investment trusts including MFA Financial.
With this development in mind, it is evident that Van ECK Associates Corp are keeping abreast with trends in a quest to maximize opportunities for returns on investments (RoI). Their bold statement through acquisition indicates that they believe firmly that over time stocks like MFA will perform well with investors reaping long-term benefits thereby consolidating confidence both within innovative platforms like Van Eck Associates Corp and across the industry.
In conclusion, it remains to be seen if this acquisition will yield tangible results for Van ECK Associates Corp and by extension MFA Financial, Inc. Nevertheless, these kinds of acquisitions signify that there is positive sentiment within the investment management community towards MFA Financial and its market outlook is promising. Ultimately, time will tell if this viewpoint comes to fruition.
MFA Financial: Increasing Institutional Interest and Analyst Ratings
MFA Financial, a real estate investment trust (REIT), has caught the attention of numerous institutional investors and hedge funds in recent months. The Swiss National Bank increased its stake in MFA by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, adding an additional 2,500 shares to its portfolio. Similarly, AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired 25,000 more shares during the same period. Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC and Los Angeles Capital Management LLC also gained positions in MFA during this time.
Nisa Investment Advisors LLC made the most significant move, increasing its holdings by over 61% during Q4 2023. As a result of these adjustments, institutional investors and hedge funds now hold approximately 64.40% of MFA’s stock.
Despite increased attention from investors, shares of NYSE:MFA opened at $10.32 on May 11th, with a fifty-day moving average price of $9.99 and two-hundred day moving average price of $10.54. MFA currently holds a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, with a low of $7.15 and high of $14.14 over the last year.
Research analysts have recently chimed in on MFA as well – StockNews.com rated MFA as “hold,” while Credit Suisse Group reiterated an “outperform” rating with a target price of $12.50 for the stock in March 2023; finally, Royal Bank of Canada maintained their “sector perform” rating for MFA while setting a target price at $11.
Overall, Bloomberg reports that MFA Financial currently holds an average rating among analysts of “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target being set at $12.45 per share by those covering the company’s performance
