Fact based stock research
MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA)

US55272X6076

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

MFA Financial stock research in summary

mfafinancial.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with investment alternatives), MFA Financial (REITs: Mortgage, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of MFA Financial are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 89 (better than 89% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 71) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 14), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 71, is a buy recommendation based on MFA Financial's financial characteristics. As the company MFA Financial's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 89) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 71), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 14) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	89
Growth Rank	71
Safety Rank	14
Combined Rank	71

Country	USA
Industry	REITs: Mortgage
Index
Size class	Medium

19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: MFA Financial

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	91	91	90	89
GROWTH
GROWTH	15	95	87	71
SAFETY
SAFETY	3	14	14	14
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	17	37	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	85	30	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better MFA Financial is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	91	91	90	89
GROWTH
GROWTH	15	95	87	71
SAFETY
SAFETY	3	14	14	14
COMBINED
COMBINED	26	71	71	71

Last update of combined financial performance: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of MFA Financial the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 89 (better than 89% compared with alternatives) for 2022, MFA Financial shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for MFA Financial. Price-to-Sales is 66 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 66% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for MFA Financial's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 90% of alternatives, and this is also true for the Price-to-Book capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 73. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of MFA Financial are expected to be higher than for 90% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 90). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 89, is a buy recommendation based on MFA Financial's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since all value metrics are above the industry average, there is no objection to investing in MFA Financial based on its detailed value metrics. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	55	46	49	66
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	79	88	95	90
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	84	85	77	73
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	100	91	94	90
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	91	91	90	89

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of MFA Financial; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with alternatives), MFA Financial shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for MFA Financial. Sales Growth has a rank of 88 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 88% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 14% of competitors with a rank of 83, and Stock Returns with the rank of 51 is also an outperformance. Only Profit Growth is low with a rank of 14 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 86% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 71, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. All three operating growth indicators, namely revenue, profit, and capital growth, are showing improvements. This is a good indication of a company with a positive future. That might, at the same time, be the simple reason why profit growth is low. A growing company needs money and thus can't yet show high profit growth. Look out for signs in corporate communication about extra growth efforts costing time and money. If that is the case, MFA Financial is a good growth stock. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	3	66	85	88
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	36	83	100	14
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	85	31	83
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	92	59	65	51
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	15	95	87	71

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of MFA Financial.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 14 (better than 14% compared with alternatives), the company MFA Financial has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of MFA Financial is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for MFA Financial and the other two below average. Refinancing is at 58, meaning the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 58% of its competitors. But Leverage is high with a rank of 14, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 86% of its competitors. Liquidity is also on the riskier side with a rank of 10, meaning the company generates less profit to service its debt than 90% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 14 (worse than 86% compared with alternatives), MFA Financial has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. A good Refinancing Rank means that the problems of the company may not be around the corner. But high Leverage is only good if things go well, and low Liquidity is a signal for caution. The financing signals for MFA Financial are on the riskier side, requiring the company's future to be on the safer side. Investors may want to look at Growth and Sentiment ranks before making an investment decision. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with MFA Financial and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	1	24	14	14
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	80	58	58	58
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	6	25	25	10
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	3	14	14	14

Last update of Safety Rank: 9-Sep-2022. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of MFA Financial and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	34	43	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	47	57	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	4	20	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	17	37	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for MFA Financial.
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