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MFA Financial (MFA)
NYSE:MFA

MFA Financial (MFA) AI Stock Analysis

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MFA

MFA Financial

(NYSE:MFA)

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Neutral 61 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:61Neutral
Price Target:
$10.00
â–¼(-0.99% Downside)
The score is driven mainly by improved profitability and cash generation, tempered by materially higher balance-sheet leverage (a key risk for mortgage REITs). Technicals are mildly supportive with price above major averages and neutral momentum. Valuation is helped by a moderate P/E and very high dividend yield, while the latest earnings call was mixed due to weaker distributable earnings from credit losses despite operational initiatives and book value disclosures.
Positive Factors
Asset Growth
The increase in assets reflects MFA's ability to expand its portfolio, enhancing its capacity to generate income and improve long-term financial stability.
Successful Securitizations
Successful securitizations demonstrate MFA's effective capital management and ability to leverage its assets, supporting liquidity and financial performance.
Dividend Stability
Stable dividends indicate a commitment to returning value to shareholders, enhancing investor confidence and supporting long-term investment appeal.
Negative Factors
Economic Book Value Decline
A decline in economic book value suggests potential challenges in asset valuation and profitability, impacting the company's financial health and investor perception.
Increased Delinquencies
Rising delinquencies can signal deteriorating asset quality, potentially leading to higher credit losses and affecting long-term financial performance.
Challenges in Loan Origination
Lower-than-expected loan origination may indicate operational challenges, limiting growth opportunities and affecting revenue generation in the long term.

MFA Financial (MFA) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

MFA Financial Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionMFA Financial, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) in the United States. The company invests in residential mortgage assets, including non-agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS), 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. The company has elected to be taxed as a REIT and would not be subject to federal income taxes if it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its stockholders. MFA Financial, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
How the Company Makes MoneyMFA Financial makes money by investing in residential mortgage assets and earning income from these investments. The company's revenue model centers around acquiring and managing a portfolio of residential whole loans and mortgage-backed securities, which generate interest income. MFA leverages its expertise in managing mortgage credit risk to maximize returns. The company also benefits from the capital appreciation of its real estate assets. Additionally, MFA Financial engages in securitization and other financial transactions to enhance its liquidity and financial performance. Key revenue streams include interest income from mortgage investments, gains from the sale of mortgage-backed securities, and income generated from securitization activities. Significant partnerships with financial institutions and access to capital markets further contribute to its earnings and operational efficiency.

MFA Financial Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Nov 06, 2025
(Q3-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Feb 19, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The earnings call highlighted MFA Financial's progress in several strategic initiatives, including capital deployment, expense reductions, and growth at Lima One. However, challenges such as a decline in distributable earnings and ongoing pressure from credit losses were noted. While positive measures are underway to improve ROEs and earnings, the immediate financial impact remains tempered by these challenges.
Q3-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Total Economic Return
MFA Financial delivered a total economic return of 2.6% to shareholders for the third quarter of 2025.
Capital Deployment and Liquidity Strategy
Increased confidence to deploy more excess liquidity into target asset classes, including Agency MBS, with plans to invest $100 million of excess cash into higher ROE assets.
Lima One Origination Growth
Lima One originated $260 million of business purpose loans during the quarter, a 20% increase from the second quarter.
Expense Reduction Initiatives
Achieved a reduction in G&A expenses by 11% year-to-date compared to the same period last year, with ongoing efforts to reduce run rate G&A expenses by 7% to 10%.
Nonperforming Loan Resolution
Delinquent loans were reduced from $86 million to $47 million in 2025, and the multifamily transitional loan portfolio is almost half of what it was a year ago.
Negative Updates
Decline in Distributable Earnings
Distributable earnings for the third quarter were approximately $21 million or $0.20 per share, a decline from $0.24 per share in the second quarter, impacted by credit losses on the loan portfolio.
Nonrecurring Income Impact
Net interest income saw a modest decline due to nonrecurring acceleration of discount accretion from the redemption of MSR-related assets last quarter.
Pressure on Distributable Earnings
Expected near-term pressure on distributable earnings due to ongoing credit losses and the gap between DE and common dividend levels.
Company Guidance
In the third quarter of 2025, MFA Financial reported a total economic return of 2.6% for shareholders, with GAAP book value at $13.13 per share and economic book value at $13.69 per share. The company generated GAAP earnings of $48.1 million, or $0.36 per basic common share, and net interest income of $56.8 million. Distributable earnings were approximately $21 million, or $0.20 per share, with a noted decline due to credit losses on the loan portfolio amounting to $0.11 per share. The company highlighted several initiatives to enhance earnings and return on equity, including increased capital deployment into target asset classes, expense reductions targeting 7% to 10% savings, and resolving nonperforming loans, which declined to $47 million in 2025 from $86 million. The company also repurchased approximately 500,000 shares of common stock at a 27% discount to economic book value, and increased their Agency MBS portfolio to $2.2 billion. Additionally, MFA Financial plans to resume multifamily lending in early 2026, having paused it to review and improve multifamily underwriting guidelines.

MFA Financial Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Income and cash flow show a clear recovery (TTM net income ~$128M; TTM FCF ~$150M with ~1.0x conversion), but results have been volatile across years. The biggest constraint is the balance sheet: leverage is high and rising (TTM debt-to-equity ~5.4x), increasing sensitivity to funding costs and asset-value swings for a mortgage REIT.
Income Statement
62
Positive
Profitability improved meaningfully after the 2022 loss, with TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months) net income of ~$128M and strong revenue growth (~69.5% TTM). Margins appear very strong in the most recent period, but results have been volatile across years (including negative revenue/profits in 2022 and 2020), which reduces confidence in the earnings trajectory and stability.
Balance Sheet
44
Neutral
Leverage is high and rising, with TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months) debt-to-equity around ~5.4x (up from ~2.6x in 2023), which increases sensitivity to funding costs and asset-value swings—an important risk for a mortgage REIT. Equity has been relatively steady (~$1.8–2.5B range) and recent return on equity is positive (~7% TTM), but the capital structure is still meaningfully debt-heavy versus prior years.
Cash Flow
68
Positive
Cash generation looks supportive: operating cash flow is positive in every period shown, and TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months) free cash flow is ~$150M with free cash flow matching net income (conversion ~1.0x). However, operating cash flow is down versus 2024 (~$200M) and cash flow growth has been choppy year-to-year, signaling variability in underlying cash generation.
BreakdownTTMDec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021Dec 2020
Income Statement
Total Revenue371.82M279.61M234.05M-67.62M337.22M-555.87M
Gross Profit341.18M244.30M199.91M-110.52M299.75M-555.87M
EBITDA164.20M0.000.000.00433.02M0.00
Net Income128.17M119.25M80.16M-231.58M328.87M-679.39M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets12.10B11.41B10.77B9.11B9.14B6.93B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments305.17M338.93M318.00M334.18M304.70M814.35M
Total Debt6.60B9.20B5.00B6.86B3.15B1.84B
Total Liabilities10.28B9.57B8.87B7.12B6.60B4.41B
Stockholders Equity1.82B1.84B1.90B1.99B2.54B2.52B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow150.07M200.12M108.74M365.78M108.25M33.53M
Operating Cash Flow150.07M200.12M108.74M366.08M120.29M38.40M
Investing Cash Flow-795.83M-424.60M-1.55B-1.13B-2.17B6.38B
Financing Cash Flow679.82M337.58M1.43B850.21M1.63B-5.74B

MFA Financial Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price10.10
Price Trends
50DMA
9.50
Positive
100DMA
9.42
Positive
200DMA
9.16
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
0.10
Negative
RSI
68.20
Neutral
STOCH
97.29
Negative
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For MFA, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 10.1 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 9.67, above the 50-day MA of 9.50, and above the 200-day MA of 9.16, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.10 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 68.20 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 97.29 is Negative, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for MFA.

MFA Financial Risk Analysis

MFA Financial disclosed 66 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. MFA Financial reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

MFA Financial Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (65)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
65
Neutral
$2.17B12.193.79%4.94%3.15%1.96%
63
Neutral
$1.26B17.197.02%20.03%72.30%-54.02%
61
Neutral
$1.03B11.876.90%14.90%5.52%-47.72%
61
Neutral
$1.20B15.076.37%12.69%-15.48%-36.45%
61
Neutral
$839.73M12.895.88%13.31%-0.93%-1.92%
55
Neutral
$1.47B-5.66-9.69%14.29%22.48%50.49%
50
Neutral
$1.11B-32.792.10%11.40%9.46%-111.44%
* Real Estate Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
MFA
MFA Financial
10.10
0.98
10.75%
CIM
Chimera Investment
13.39
0.10
0.75%
TWO
Two Harbors
14.10
3.71
35.66%
PMT
PennyMac Mortgage
13.81
2.62
23.44%
ORC
Orchid Island Capital
8.33
1.63
24.33%
FBRT
Franklin BSP Realty Trust
10.29
-1.24
-10.76%

MFA Financial Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackFinancial Disclosures
MFA Financial Reports Q3 2025 Financial Results
Neutral
Nov 6, 2025

MFA Financial, Inc. announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2025, reporting a GAAP net income of $37.3 million and distributable earnings of $21.0 million. The company made significant progress by acquiring $1.2 billion in residential mortgage assets and securitizing $721 million of Non-QM loans. Despite credit losses from legacy loans, MFA is implementing strategies to improve future returns, including cost reductions and share repurchases.

The most recent analyst rating on (MFA) stock is a Buy with a $10.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on MFA Financial stock, see the MFA Stock Forecast page.

Delistings and Listing ChangesRegulatory Filings and Compliance
MFA Financial Announces Stock Trading Blackout Period
Neutral
Oct 30, 2025

On October 30, 2025, MFA Financial, Inc. announced a blackout period for its directors and executive officers, restricting trading of the company’s common stock and Series B Preferred Stock from December 1 to December 5, 2025. This blackout period is due to the removal of these stocks as investment options under the company’s 401(k) Savings Plan, in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and SEC regulations, impacting the ability of plan participants to manage their investments during this time.

The most recent analyst rating on (MFA) stock is a Buy with a $10.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on MFA Financial stock, see the MFA Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Dec 30, 2025