UBS Group AG Has $6.10 Million Holdings in Ellington Financial Inc. $EFC

UBS Group AG reduced its holdings in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) by 30.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 449,332 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 192,118 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Ellington Financial were worth $6,102,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also 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 valued at $2,384,000 after purchasing an additional 23,553 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial during the second quarter worth $176,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ellington Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $166,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Ellington Financial by 16.6% during the second quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 27,434 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 3,900 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $138,000. Institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on EFC. Wall Street Zen raised Ellington Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ellington Financial from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ellington Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ellington Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.08.

Ellington Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:EFC opened at $13.49 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.10. The stock has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.13 and a beta of 0.94. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 1-year low of $11.27 and a 1-year high of $14.12. The company has a current ratio of 42.65, a quick ratio of 42.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.18.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $188.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $114.09 million. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 72.08% and a return on equity of 15.81%. Research analysts anticipate that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 93.98%.

Ellington Financial Profile

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.