Ellington Financial Inc. Declares Monthly Dividend of $0.13 (NYSE:EFC)

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) announced a monthly dividend on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be paid a dividend of 0.13 per share by the financial services provider on Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 28th.

Ellington Financial has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.0%per year over the last three years. Ellington Financial has a dividend payout ratio of 91.2% meaning its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company’s earnings fall. Equities research analysts expect Ellington Financial to earn $1.67 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.56 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 93.4%.

Ellington Financial Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE EFC opened at $13.29 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 46.78, a current ratio of 46.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.96. Ellington Financial has a 12 month low of $11.12 and a 12 month high of $14.40. The company has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.72 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.20.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.09. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 13.56% and a net margin of 89.52%.The firm had revenue of $242.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $121.99 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ronald I. Simon bought 5,544 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $13.56 per share, for a total transaction of $75,176.64. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 80,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,084,800. This represents a 7.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ellington Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EFC. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 7.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,653,590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $86,364,000 after purchasing an additional 449,074 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,187,694 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,422,000 after purchasing an additional 77,047 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,463,311 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,008,000 after buying an additional 75,430 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,115,881 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,797,000 after buying an additional 22,979 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Ellington Financial by 1.3% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 831,884 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,031,000 after buying an additional 10,860 shares during the last quarter. 55.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ellington Financial Company Profile

Ellington Financial Inc, through its subsidiary, Ellington Financial Operating Partnership LLC, acquires and manages mortgage-related, consumer-related, corporate-related, and other financial assets in the United States. The company acquires and manages residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) backed by prime jumbo, Alt-A, manufactured housing, and subprime mortgage; RMBS for which the principal and interest payments are guaranteed by the U.S.