SG Americas Securities LLC Invests $102,000 in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)

SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,026 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $102,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Ellington Financial by 126.5% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,359 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 759 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ellington Financial by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 11,792 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $146,000 after acquiring an additional 855 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ellington Financial by 2.4% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 43,174 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares during the period. Finally, Optimum Investment Advisors increased its stake in Ellington Financial by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 12,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

Ellington Financial Stock Up 1.2 %

EFC stock opened at $11.41 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $970.50 million, a PE ratio of 12.68 and a beta of 1.92. The company has a quick ratio of 46.75, a current ratio of 46.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.30. Ellington Financial Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.88 and a twelve month high of $14.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $11.53 and its 200-day moving average is $12.26.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.01). Ellington Financial had a net margin of 78.53% and a return on equity of 11.36%. The company had revenue of $27.99 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.77 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.67%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. Ellington Financial’s payout ratio is 173.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research cut their price objective on shares of Ellington Financial from $15.50 to $13.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $14.50 price objective on shares of Ellington Financial in a research note on Thursday. Jonestrading began coverage on Ellington Financial in a research report on Friday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. StockNews.com cut Ellington Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Ellington Financial from $14.00 to $13.25 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ellington Financial has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.95.

Ellington Financial Company 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.