Rithm Capital (US:RITM) Seeking Alpha·2025-12-09 17:59Core Insights - The article focuses on analyzing Rithm Capital Corp.'s (RITM) recent performance metrics in comparison to 17 mortgage real estate investment trust (mREIT) peers, highlighting investment composition, leverage, hedging coverage, and economic returns [1][3][54] Investment Composition and Portfolio Overview - As of September 30, 2025, RITM's investment portfolio consisted of 21% fixed-rate agency MBS, 0% variable-rate agency MBS, 32% mortgage servicing rights (MSR), and 47% non-agency MBS and other mortgage-related investments [19][28] - RITM's diverse investment strategy includes subsidiaries like Newrez, SCU, Crestline, and RPT, which contribute to a broad range of financial investments [28][39] Leverage and Hedging Coverage - RITM's on-balance sheet leverage ratio was 2.4x, with an at-risk leverage ratio of 1.0x as of September 30, 2025, indicating a slight decrease in on-balance sheet leverage and a slight increase in at-risk leverage compared to the previous quarter [20][21] - The hedging coverage ratio for RITM decreased to 58% as of September 30, 2025, reflecting the company's strategy to prepare for lower mortgage interest rates [51] Economic Returns and Valuation - RITM reported a book value (BV) of $12.83 per share at the end of Q3 2025, representing a quarterly increase of 0.94% and an economic return of 2.91% for the same period [22][23] - The trailing 24-month economic return for RITM was 20.37%, ranking it as the 4th best performer among the analyzed mREIT peers, significantly outperforming the average returns of other mREIT categories [55] Comparative Analysis with Peers - RITM's economic return and leverage metrics indicate it operates with lower average leverage compared to its closest peer, PMT, and the broader mREIT sector, which helps mitigate book value volatility [56] - The stock price of RITM was trading at a 13.44% discount to the estimated current BV as of December 5, 2025, suggesting potential undervaluation [52][53]