Strs Ohio Boosts Stake in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)

Strs Ohio raised its position in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) by 11.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Ellington Financial were worth $194,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 32.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,388,380 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,313,000 after acquiring an additional 338,434 shares during the period. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ellington Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $884,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,263,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,165,000 after buying an additional 53,357 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 547,084 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,822,000 after buying an additional 46,615 shares during the period. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp boosted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 200.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 65,483 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $817,000 after buying an additional 43,708 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

Ellington Financial Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:EFC opened at $11.44 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $11.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.30, a current ratio of 46.75 and a quick ratio of 46.75. Ellington Financial Inc. has a one year low of $10.88 and a one year high of $14.21. The company has a market cap of $972.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.71 and a beta of 1.92.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 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 the consensus estimate of $30.77 million. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 78.53% and a return on equity of 11.36%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.42 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.64%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 173.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ellington Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Ellington Financial from $14.00 to $13.25 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. BTIG Research cut their price objective on shares of Ellington Financial from $15.50 to $13.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Jonestrading assumed coverage on shares of Ellington Financial in a report on Friday, April 19th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $14.50 price objective on shares of Ellington Financial in a report on Thursday, April 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.95.

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.