Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 183,612 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 53% from the previous session’s volume of 393,234 shares.The stock last traded at $12.26 and had previously closed at $12.16.

Ellington Financial Trading Up 1.4 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a PE ratio of 9.41 and a beta of 1.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a current ratio of 37.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $12.27 and a 200 day moving average of $12.58.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 106.40%. The firm had revenue of $33.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.95 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.33 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.65%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Ellington Financial’s payout ratio is 119.08%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CIO Michael W. Vranos sold 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.48, for a total transaction of $174,720.00. Following the transaction, the executive now directly owns 168,359 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,101,120.32. This represents a 7.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ellington Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 4.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,140,371 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,885,000 after purchasing an additional 124,943 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Ellington Financial by 2.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,965,296 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,338,000 after buying an additional 46,530 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 778,931 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,040,000 after acquiring an additional 41,669 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 146.5% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 726,779 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,368,000 after acquiring an additional 431,945 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 4.4% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 654,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,901,000 after purchasing an additional 27,392 shares in the last quarter. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.