Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Position Increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC - Free Report) by 48.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 231,543 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 75,143 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.26% of Ellington Financial worth $2,985,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in Ellington Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $62,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Ellington Financial in the third quarter valued at about $68,000. Members Trust Co acquired a new stake in Ellington Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $129,000. Atom Investors LP purchased a new stake in Ellington Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $130,000. Finally, Creative Planning acquired a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $141,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.62% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Ellington Financial Stock Up 0.6 %

Ellington Financial stock traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $12.56. The stock had a trading volume of 722,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 954,451. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $12.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.60. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.88 and a 12 month high of $13.46. The stock has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.58 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 (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 106.40%. The business had revenue of $33.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.33 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.43%. Ellington Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 119.08%.

About Ellington Financial

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.