The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Takes Position in Ellington Financial Inc. $EFC

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 51,525 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $701,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EFC. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 267.4% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,607 shares in the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Huntington National Bank raised its position 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 worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 1,078 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 18.3% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 785 shares during the period. 55.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ellington Financial Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of Ellington Financial stock opened at $13.50 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a PE ratio of 8.23 and a beta of 0.94. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 52-week low of $11.27 and a 52-week high of $14.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.39, a quick ratio of 52.06 and a current ratio of 52.06.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $134.11 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $114.59 million. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 52.43% and a return on equity of 16.61%. On average, analysts anticipate that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 11.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EFC has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Ellington Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research downgraded Ellington Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. BTIG Research lowered Ellington Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ellington Financial from $14.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.50.

About Ellington Financial

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.