Ellington Financial’s (EFC) Market Outperform Rating Reiterated at JMP Securities

JMP Securities reaffirmed their market outperform rating on shares of Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) in a research report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $14.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock.

Separately, B. Riley upgraded Ellington Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ellington Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.58.

Ellington Financial Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Ellington Financial stock opened at $12.55 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87, a current ratio of 37.04 and a quick ratio of 37.04. Ellington Financial has a 1 year low of $10.88 and a 1 year high of $13.46. The firm has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 1.97. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.61.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.04. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. The company had revenue of $33.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.33 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.44%. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 119.08%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ellington Financial

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new position in Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $62,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Ellington Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $68,000. Members Trust Co purchased a new stake in Ellington Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $129,000. Atom Investors LP bought a new stake in Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $130,000. Finally, Creative Planning purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the third quarter valued at about $141,000. 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.