Jane Street Group LLC Reduces Holdings in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)

Jane Street Group LLC lessened its position in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC - Free Report) by 91.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,761 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 129,324 shares during the quarter. Jane Street Group LLC's holdings in Ellington Financial were worth $155,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Delphi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,704,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,364,583 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,659,000 after purchasing an additional 347,587 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 39.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,092,902 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $13,246,000 after purchasing an additional 311,406 shares during the period. GraniteShares Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,462,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 1,030.8% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 219,372 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,659,000 after purchasing an additional 199,972 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. B. Riley increased their price objective on Ellington Financial from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a report on Wednesday, May 14th.

Ellington Financial Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of Ellington Financial stock traded up $0.20 on Tuesday, reaching $12.97. 736,634 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 978,406. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $12.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.68. The company has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.90 and a beta of 0.99. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 1-year low of $11.12 and a 1-year high of $14.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87, a current ratio of 37.04 and a quick ratio of 37.04.

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

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.03%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. Ellington Financial's payout ratio is 110.64%.

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.