Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at Jonestrading

Equities researchers at Jonestrading assumed coverage on shares of Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage set a "hold" rating on the financial services provider's stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on EFC. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ellington Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Ellington Financial from $14.00 to $13.25 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and issued a $14.50 price target on shares of Ellington Financial in a report on Thursday. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their price target on shares of Ellington Financial from $15.50 to $13.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ellington Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $13.95.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

NYSE EFC traded up $0.14 on Friday, hitting $11.41. The stock had a trading volume of 912,313 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,121,805. Ellington Financial has a 52-week low of $10.88 and a 52-week high of $14.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.30, a quick ratio of 46.75 and a current ratio of 46.75. The company has a market capitalization of $970.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.68 and a beta of 1.92. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $11.53 and a 200-day moving average of $12.26.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ellington Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EFC. Norden Group LLC boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 763.2% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 107,506 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,270,000 after buying an additional 95,051 shares during the period. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 13,900 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 35.9% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,757 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 992 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,833,357 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $61,432,000 after buying an additional 569,935 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 165,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,110,000 after buying an additional 13,426 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 55.62% of the company's stock.

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.