Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Stake Decreased by RBF Capital LLC

RBF Capital LLC trimmed its position in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC - Free Report) by 22.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 105,941 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 30,000 shares during the period. RBF Capital LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Ellington Financial worth $1,283,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 38.3% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 142,085 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,831,000 after acquiring an additional 39,355 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 230.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 138,440 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,784,000 after purchasing an additional 96,525 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Ellington Financial by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,965,296 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,338,000 after purchasing an additional 46,530 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in Ellington Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 231,543 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,985,000 after purchasing an additional 75,143 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EFC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Ellington Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, B. Riley upgraded Ellington Financial to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

Ellington Financial Stock Performance

EFC traded up $0.21 on Friday, hitting $12.99. 988,467 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 972,038. The company has a current ratio of 37.04, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $12.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.58. Ellington Financial Inc. has a twelve month low of $11.12 and a twelve month high of $14.40. The firm has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of 9.92 and a beta of 1.57.

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

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.01%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. Ellington Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 113.04%.

Ellington Financial 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.