Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Receives $14.06 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the five ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $13.95.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on EFC shares. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $14.50 target price on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Thursday. BTIG Research lowered their price target on Ellington Financial from $15.50 to $13.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com lowered Ellington Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Ellington Financial from $14.00 to $13.25 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EFC. MAS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ellington Financial during the 1st quarter worth $446,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 467,891 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,306,000 after buying an additional 3,263 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 126.5% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,359 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 759 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 54.9% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 28,857 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $512,000 after buying an additional 10,227 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 149,445 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,653,000 after buying an additional 9,534 shares in the last quarter. 55.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ellington Financial Stock Performance

Shares of EFC traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $11.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 971,407 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,124,594. The stock's 50-day moving average is $11.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $958.20 million, a PE ratio of 12.52 and a beta of 1.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.30, a quick ratio of 46.75 and a current ratio of 46.75. Ellington Financial has a one year low of $10.88 and a one year high of $14.21.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.41 by ($0.01). Ellington Financial had a net margin of 78.53% and a return on equity of 11.36%. The company had revenue of $27.99 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.77 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.42 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ellington Financial will post 1.53 EPS for the current year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. Ellington Financial's payout ratio is currently 173.34%.

Ellington Financial Company 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.