Dark Forest Capital Management LP Buys New Shares in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 54,040 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $655,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP owned about 0.06% of Ellington Financial as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 30,531 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Ellington Financial by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 21,364 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,610 shares during the period. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 182,960 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,217,000 after purchasing an additional 1,789 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 43,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 55.62% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. 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. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Ellington Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, B. Riley upgraded Ellington Financial to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

Shares of EFC traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $13.02. 465,031 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,137,422. The company has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.94 and a beta of 1.57. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.12 and a 1 year high of $14.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $12.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.59. The company has a current ratio of 37.04, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $38.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $112.88 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.98%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. Ellington Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 113.04%.

Ellington Financial Company 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.