Jacobs Asset Management LLC Has $1.54 Million Stake in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)

Jacobs Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC - Free Report) by 21.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 126,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 34,214 shares during the period. Ellington Financial comprises approximately 0.9% of Jacobs Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 25th largest position. Jacobs Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Ellington Financial worth $1,539,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Ellington Financial Stock Performance

Shares of EFC traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $13.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,220,299 shares, compared to its average volume of 974,394. The stock's 50-day moving average is $12.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a PE ratio of 10.09 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 Inc. has a one year low of $11.12 and a one year high of $14.40.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $82.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $107.06 million. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Ellington Financial's payout ratio is presently 110.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, B. Riley increased their target price on Ellington Financial from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday.

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.