Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Stock Holdings Boosted by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC - Free Report) by 230.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 138,440 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 96,525 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.15% of Ellington Financial worth $1,784,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFC. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 2.0% during the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 47,814 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 919 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Ellington Financial by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 14,415 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $186,000 after buying an additional 1,688 shares during the period. MAS Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. MAS Advisors LLC now owns 38,972 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 1,707 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 70,597 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $853,000 after buying an additional 1,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 23,813 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $288,000 after buying an additional 2,688 shares during the last quarter. 55.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, B. Riley raised Ellington Financial to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $13.58.

Insider Activity

In other Ellington Financial news, CIO Michael W. Vranos sold 14,000 shares of Ellington Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.48, for a total value of $174,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive now directly owns 168,359 shares in the company, valued at $2,101,120.32. The trade was a 7.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

Ellington Financial Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE EFC traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $12.10. 949,325 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 892,319. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of 9.24 and a beta of 1.97. The company has a current ratio of 37.04, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.88 and a 12 month high of $13.46. The company has a 50 day moving average of $12.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.59.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $33.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.95 million. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.33 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.89%. Ellington Financial's payout ratio is 119.08%.

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.