Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC Invests $1.61 Million in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)

Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 133,090 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,613,000. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Ellington Financial as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Ellington Financial by 18,200.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 2,548 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 162.3% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,602 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,610 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 814.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 2,355 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in Ellington Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in Ellington Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $133,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.62% of the company's stock.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

Shares of EFC stock traded up $0.01 on Friday, reaching $12.95. 568,837 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 973,488. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $12.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.61. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.12 and a 1 year high of $14.40. The company has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.89 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a current ratio of 37.04.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.01. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 106.40%. The business had revenue of $82.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $107.06 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.05%. Ellington Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 110.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EFC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd.

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.