Cetera Investment Advisers Purchases 1,836 Shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)

Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) by 18.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,920 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,836 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Ellington Financial were worth $144,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Delphi Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $4,704,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 821,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,951,000 after purchasing an additional 42,093 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp bought a new position in Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $664,000. Angel Oak Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $1,445,000. Finally, GraniteShares Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $2,462,000. 55.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ellington Financial Stock Performance

NYSE EFC opened at $12.39 on Tuesday. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 52-week low of $11.12 and a 52-week high of $14.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a current ratio of 37.04. The company has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.45 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $12.66 and a 200-day moving average of $12.67.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $82.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $107.06 million. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 110.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EFC has been the subject of several analyst reports. B. Riley raised their price target on shares of Ellington Financial from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

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.