Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold Rating

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Ellington Financial from sell to hold, while Weiss Ratings also reiterated a hold rating. Overall analyst sentiment is mixed, with MarketBeat showing an average Moderate Buy rating and a target price of $14.56.
• The stock was trading at $13.62, up 0.2%, and remains near its recent range between a 52-week low of $11.27 and high of $14.12. The company also has a market cap of about $1.70 billion and a relatively low P/E ratio of 8.20.
• Ellington Financial recently reported better-than-expected earnings, posting $0.55 EPS versus the $0.42 estimate and revenue of $171.83 million versus expectations of $114.09 million. Institutional investors, including Vanguard and State Street, also increased their holdings, with institutions owning 55.62% of the stock.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $14.56.

Ellington Financial Trading Up 0.2%

EFC stock opened at $13.62 on Friday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $12.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.10. The company has a quick ratio of 47.25, a current ratio of 41.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.18. Ellington Financial has a 52-week low of $11.27 and a 52-week high of $14.12. The firm has a market cap of $1.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.20 and a beta of 0.94.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.13. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 72.08% and a return on equity of 15.81%. The business had revenue of $171.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.09 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ellington Financial will post 1.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ellington Financial by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,003,038 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $95,101,000 after acquiring an additional 349,448 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Ellington Financial by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,779,402 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $51,814,000 after acquiring an additional 196,894 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Ellington Financial by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,412,329 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,766,000 after acquiring an additional 142,912 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Ellington Financial by 17.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,218,506 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,796,000 after acquiring an additional 331,934 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Ellington Financial by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,566,268 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,330,000 after acquiring an additional 102,957 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.62% of the company's stock.

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.

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