Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Given Average Recommendation of "Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Buy" from the five brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $14.00.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of Ellington Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, B. Riley raised Ellington Financial to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th.

Ellington Financial Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE EFC traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $14.00. The company had a trading volume of 1,567,289 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,021,648. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.63. The stock has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.68 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 has a 52-week low of $10.88 and a 52-week high of $14.40.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.07. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. The business had revenue of $38.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $112.88 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.15%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Ellington Financial's payout ratio is currently 113.04%.

Institutional Trading of Ellington Financial

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFC. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Ellington Financial by 18,200.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 2,548 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 162.3% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,602 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,610 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Ellington Financial by 814.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 2,355 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.62% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.