Barclays PLC Boosts Stock Position in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)

Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) by 230.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 138,440 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 96,525 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Ellington Financial were worth $1,784,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 47,814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $616,000 after purchasing an additional 919 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Ellington Financial by 13.3% in the third quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 14,415 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $186,000 after buying an additional 1,688 shares during the last quarter. MAS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ellington Financial by 4.6% during the second quarter. MAS Advisors LLC now owns 38,972 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 1,707 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in Ellington Financial by 2.7% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 70,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $853,000 after acquiring an additional 1,824 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 12.7% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 23,813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 2,688 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ellington Financial

In other Ellington Financial news, CIO Michael W. Vranos sold 14,000 shares of the firm’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 owns 168,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,101,120.32. This trade represents a 7.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, B. Riley raised shares of Ellington Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $13.58.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

EFC opened at $12.10 on Friday. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $12.25 and a 200 day moving average of $12.59. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 52-week low of $10.88 and a 52-week high of $13.46. The stock has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.24 and a beta of 1.97.

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

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.89%. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.08%.

Ellington Financial Profile

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.