Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on EFC. Wall Street Zen upgraded Ellington Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.08.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

Ellington Financial stock opened at $13.45 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.10. The stock has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.10 and a beta of 0.94. Ellington Financial has a 12-month low of $11.27 and a 12-month high of $14.12. The company has a quick ratio of 47.25, a current ratio of 42.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.18.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.13. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 72.08% and a return on equity of 15.81%. The firm had revenue of $188.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $114.09 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ellington Financial will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 267.4% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607 shares during the last quarter. Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. REAP Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 35.3% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 4,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 1,078 shares during the last quarter. 55.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ellington Financial Company Profile

Ellington Financial, Inc (NYSE: EFC) is a mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses on generating attractive risk-adjusted returns through investments in residential and commercial mortgage-related assets. Established in 2013, the company is externally managed by Ellington Financial Management, L.P., a subsidiary of Ellington Management Group, an alternative asset management firm. EFC’s core strategy centers on actively acquiring and managing agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS), mortgage servicing rights, residential whole loans, and other structured finance instruments, including asset-backed securities and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS).

The company employs leverage and structured financing tools—such as repurchase agreements and secured credit facilities—to enhance portfolio yield while maintaining focus on risk mitigation.