Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Purchases 47,409 Shares of Ellington Financial Inc. $EFC

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 432,409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 47,409 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ellington Financial were worth $5,872,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in EFC. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 15.1% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 179,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,384,000 after buying an additional 23,553 shares during the period. Creative Planning bought a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the second quarter valued at $176,000. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the second quarter valued at $166,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 16.6% in the second quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 27,434 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after buying an additional 3,900 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the second quarter valued at $138,000. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ellington Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:EFC opened at $13.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.18, a quick ratio of 47.25 and a current ratio of 42.65. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 52-week low of $11.27 and a 52-week high of $14.12. The firm has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.04 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s fifty day moving average is $12.50 and its 200 day moving average is $13.10.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.13. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 15.81% and a net margin of 72.08%.The company had revenue of $188.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.09 million. Research analysts predict that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.95 EPS for the current year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Ellington Financial’s payout ratio is presently 93.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on EFC shares. Zacks Research upgraded Ellington Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Ellington Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Ellington Financial from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $14.08.

Ellington Financial Company Profile

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.