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

Shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $14.55.

EFC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered Ellington Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

Shares of Ellington Financial stock opened at $12.60 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a PE ratio of 9.40 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $13.66 and a 200 day moving average of $13.52. The company has a current ratio of 50.60, a quick ratio of 50.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.64. Ellington Financial has a 12 month low of $11.12 and a 12 month high of $14.40.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $242.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $121.99 million. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 14.55% and a net margin of 89.04%. On average, research analysts expect that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 116.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ellington Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWM LLC grew its stake in Ellington Financial by 67.6% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,010 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 811 shares in the last quarter. Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ellington Financial during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Huntington National Bank raised its position in Ellington Financial by 134.4% during the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,752 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,578 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 93.9% during the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,735 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

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.