Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Shares Sold by Easterly Investment Partners LLC

Easterly Investment Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) by 24.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 889,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 283,055 shares during the period. Easterly Investment Partners LLC owned approximately 0.98% of Ellington Financial worth $10,780,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 18,200.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Ellington Financial by 162.3% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,602 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,610 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Atom Investors LP purchased a new position in Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $130,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

Ellington Financial Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE EFC opened at $13.28 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of 10.13 and a beta of 1.99. The company has a quick ratio of 37.04, a current ratio of 37.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $13.04 and a 200-day moving average of $12.67. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 52-week low of $10.88 and a 52-week high of $14.40.

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

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a mar 25 dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 11.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Ellington Financial’s payout ratio is currently 113.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Ellington Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, B. Riley raised shares of Ellington Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $14.00.

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.