Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $14.5625.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on EFC shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ellington Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th.

Institutional Trading of Ellington Financial

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Amundi raised its position in Ellington Financial by 106.8% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,497,373 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,334,000 after purchasing an additional 773,291 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 worth $86,364,000 after purchasing an additional 449,074 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial during the fourth quarter worth $6,080,000. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the third quarter valued at $4,997,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the third quarter valued at $4,941,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

Ellington Financial Stock Up 2.2%

EFC stock opened at $11.77 on Thursday. Ellington Financial has a one year low of $11.12 and a one year high of $14.12. The firm has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 9.57 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $12.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.02, a quick ratio of 47.25 and a current ratio of 47.25.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.03. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 14.62% and a net margin of 77.32%.The company had revenue of $96.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $132.07 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.3%. The ex-dividend date 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.