Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) Share Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $13.39 and traded as high as $13.98. Ellington Financial shares last traded at $13.7550, with a volume of 1,158,962 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on EFC shares. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ellington Financial from $12.50 to $13.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Zacks Research cut shares of Ellington Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.46.

Ellington Financial Stock Up 0.8%

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $13.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.35 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 50.60, a quick ratio of 50.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.64.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.09. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 89.04% and a return on equity of 14.55%. The business had revenue of $242.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $121.99 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Ellington Financial Inc. 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 Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 116.42%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC grew its position in Ellington Financial by 67.6% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,010 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 811 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 134.4% in the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,752 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,578 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the third quarter valued at about $44,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 93.9% during the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,735 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Ellington Financial by 535.9% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 6,181 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 5,209 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

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.