Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) Price Target Raised to $14.50

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) had its target price boosted by UBS Group from $14.00 to $14.50 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Ellington Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ellington Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ellington Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.50.

Ellington Financial Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE EFC opened at $13.66 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $13.51 and its 200 day moving average is $13.02. The company has a current ratio of 52.06, a quick ratio of 52.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.39. Ellington Financial has a 12 month low of $11.27 and a 12 month high of $14.12. The stock has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a PE ratio of 8.33 and a beta of 0.94.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.14. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 52.43%.The business had revenue of $134.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $114.59 million. Research analysts predict that Ellington Financial will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.4%. Ellington Financial’s payout ratio is presently 95.12%.

Institutional Trading of Ellington Financial

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Ellington Financial by 23.0% during the second quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 35,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 6,564 shares in the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in Ellington Financial during the second quarter valued at $118,000. Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new stake in Ellington Financial during the second quarter valued at $198,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Ellington Financial during the second quarter valued at $824,000. 55.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.