MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,470,054 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 67,807 shares during the quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.’s holdings in Ellington Financial were worth $17,817,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Ellington Financial by 18,200.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in 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 in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in 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 in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $133,000. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on EFC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. B. Riley increased their price target on Ellington Financial from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EFC opened at $13.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a current ratio of 37.04. Ellington Financial Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.12 and a fifty-two week high of $14.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a PE ratio of 10.12 and a beta of 1.01. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.62.

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

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 110.64%.

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.