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

Shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $14.0833.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on EFC shares. Wall Street Zen raised Ellington Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Ellington Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Ellington Financial from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th.

Ellington Financial Stock Down 0.7%

EFC stock opened at $13.59 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 42.65, a quick ratio of 42.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of 8.18 and a beta of 0.94. Ellington Financial has a 1-year low of $11.27 and a 1-year high of $14.12. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.08.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $188.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.09 million. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 15.81% and a net margin of 72.08%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ellington Financial will post 1.95 EPS for the current year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 11.5%. Ellington Financial’s payout ratio is 93.98%.

Institutional Trading of Ellington Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFC. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Ellington Financial by 267.4% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607 shares during the period. Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. REAP Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in Ellington Financial by 35.3% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 4,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,078 shares during the period. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.