Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Shares Sold by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP decreased its stake in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC - Free Report) by 49.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 566,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 562,745 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.63% of Ellington Financial worth $6,872,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in Ellington Financial by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 30,531 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $370,000 after acquiring an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 21,364 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Ellington Financial by 162.3% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,602 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,610 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 43,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 70,077 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $849,000 after purchasing an additional 1,812 shares during the period. 55.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ellington Financial Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:EFC traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $13.17. 377,175 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 969,495. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87, a current ratio of 37.04 and a quick ratio of 37.04. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $12.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.59. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.12 and a 1 year high of $14.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.06 and a beta of 1.57.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $38.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $112.88 million. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 106.40%. Equities analysts expect that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.85%. Ellington Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 113.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on EFC. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $14.00 target price on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of 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 upgraded shares of Ellington Financial to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th.

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.