Guggenheim Capital LLC Acquires 21,435 Shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)

Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC - Free Report) by 74.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,064 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 21,435 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC owned 0.06% of Ellington Financial worth $607,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Ellington Financial by 18,200.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 2,548 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,610 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 814.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 2,355 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new position in Ellington Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $62,000. Institutional investors own 55.62% of the company's stock.

Ellington Financial Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Ellington Financial stock traded up $0.05 on Thursday, hitting $13.08. 145,965 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 971,607. The company has a current ratio of 37.04, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87. The company has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 1.57. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $12.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.60. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 52 week low of $11.12 and a 52 week high of $14.40.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $112.88 million. Equities research analysts predict that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. Ellington Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 113.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EFC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. B. Riley upgraded Ellington Financial to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

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.