Mortgage Rates End 2025 With Fresh Low: 3 mREIT Stocks in Focus

Mortgage Market Overview - Mortgage rates ended 2025 at 6.15%, down from 6.91% a year prior, providing relief for homebuyers [1][10] - The year 2025 experienced high rates near 7% in the first half, which limited homebuying activity, but rates stabilized around 6.2% from mid-September due to Federal Reserve's monetary policy easing [2][10] Impact on Home Sales and mREITs - Lower mortgage rates and slower home price growth have increased pending home sales, indicating a potential rebound in the mortgage market for 2026 [3][10] - The improving housing conditions are expected to enhance financing conditions, boost transaction activity, and stabilize demand, which may lead to stronger fundamentals for mREITs [4][10] mREIT Stocks to Watch Ellington Financial (EFC) - EFC invests in a diverse range of financial assets, including residential and commercial mortgage loans, and has a strong securitization platform [5][6] - The company employs dynamic hedging strategies and maintains a balanced portfolio, with a dividend yield of 11.3% and a history of raising dividends [7] - Zacks Consensus Estimates indicate a 25.3% year-over-year earnings growth for 2025 [8] Annaly Capital Management (NLY) - NLY focuses on prudent asset selection and capital allocation, investing in Agency mortgage-backed securities and non-agency assets [12][13] - The company has a dividend yield of 12.2% and has raised its dividend once in the past five years, with a projected earnings growth of 7.4% for 2025 [14] NexPoint Real Estate Finance (NREF) - NREF specializes in originating and investing in first mortgage loans and commercial mortgage-backed securities, with a focus on multi-family and single-family rentals [17][19] - The company has a dividend yield of 14.2% and has raised its dividend three times over the past five years, with earnings growth estimates of 1.7% for 2025 [20]