Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Shares Sold by Voya Investment Management LLC

Voya Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 26,583 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,779 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ellington Financial were worth $322,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of EFC. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 18,200.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 2,548 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,610 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 814.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 2,355 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in Ellington Financial during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Ellington Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $133,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EFC opened at $12.95 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a current ratio of 37.04. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $12.83 and a 200 day moving average of $12.61. The firm has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of 9.89 and a beta of 1.01. Ellington Financial Inc. has a one year low of $11.12 and a one year high of $14.40.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.01. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. The business had revenue of $82.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $107.06 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.05%. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 110.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on EFC shares. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

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.