Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts: Ellington Financial has a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from six covering analysts (three hold, three buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $14.56.
• Dividend: The company announced a monthly $0.13 dividend (ex‑dividend Apr 30) implying a 12.0% yield and a dividend‑payout ratio of 126.83%, signaling potential sustainability risk.
• Results and trading: Ellington reported EPS $0.47 (beat $0.44) but revenue of $96.44M missed estimates of $132.07M; shares trade around $12.95 with a P/E of 10.53 and a 12‑month range of $11.27–$14.12.

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $14.5625.

EFC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ellington Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 21st.

Ellington Financial Trading Down 0.1%

Ellington Financial stock opened at $12.95 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $12.26 and a 200 day moving average of $13.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.53 and a beta of 0.94. Ellington Financial has a 12-month low of $11.27 and a 12-month high of $14.12. The company has a current ratio of 47.25, a quick ratio of 47.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.02.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.03. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 53.10% and a return on equity of 14.62%. The business had revenue of $96.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $132.07 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.0%. Ellington Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 126.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brookstone Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the first quarter valued at $158,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 79.1% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 26,464 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $359,000 after purchasing an additional 11,684 shares in the last quarter. one8zero8 LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $149,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $352,000. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 228.0% in the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 103,998 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,412,000 after purchasing an additional 72,287 shares in the last quarter. 55.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ellington Financial Company Profile

Ellington Financial, Inc NYSE: EFC is a mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses on generating attractive risk-adjusted returns through investments in residential and commercial mortgage-related assets. Established in 2013, the company is externally managed by Ellington Financial Management, L.P., a subsidiary of Ellington Management Group, an alternative asset management firm. EFC's core strategy centers on actively acquiring and managing agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS), mortgage servicing rights, residential whole loans, and other structured finance instruments, including asset-backed securities and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS).

The company employs leverage and structured financing tools—such as repurchase agreements and secured credit facilities—to enhance portfolio yield while maintaining focus on risk mitigation.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.