Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $14.5625.

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ellington Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ellington Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFC. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 15.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 179,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,384,000 after acquiring an additional 23,553 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 101.5% in the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 12,833 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 6,465 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Ellington Financial by 3.7% in 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. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its stake in Ellington Financial by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 20,834 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $271,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in Ellington Financial by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 24,265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 2,569 shares during the last quarter. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

Shares of EFC stock opened at $11.75 on Thursday. Ellington Financial has a 1-year low of $11.12 and a 1-year high of $14.12. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $12.53 and its 200 day moving average is $13.20. The company has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.56 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.02, a current ratio of 47.25 and a quick ratio of 47.25.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $96.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $132.07 million. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 53.10% and a return on equity of 14.62%. Research analysts predict that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 13.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 126.83%.

About Ellington Financial

Ellington Financial, Inc (NYSE: EFC) is a mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses on generating attractive risk-adjusted returns through investments in residential and commercial mortgage-related assets. Established in 2013, the company is externally managed by Ellington Financial Management, L.P., a subsidiary of Ellington Management Group, an alternative asset management firm. EFC’s core strategy centers on actively acquiring and managing agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS), mortgage servicing rights, residential whole loans, and other structured finance instruments, including asset-backed securities and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS).

The company employs leverage and structured financing tools—such as repurchase agreements and secured credit facilities—to enhance portfolio yield while maintaining focus on risk mitigation.