Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Shares Sold by Easterly Investment Partners LLC

Easterly Investment Partners LLC reduced its position in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) by 8.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,803,078 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 172,059 shares during the period. Ellington Financial makes up about 1.9% of Easterly Investment Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Easterly Investment Partners LLC owned approximately 2.12% of Ellington Financial worth $21,781,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Ellington Financial during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 150.2% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,602 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,562 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 100.9% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,835 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,424 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 35.9% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,757 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 992 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the 1st quarter worth $163,000. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ellington Financial Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE:EFC traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $13.38. 1,006,750 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,008,291. Ellington Financial Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.88 and a twelve month high of $13.50. The firm has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91 and a beta of 1.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.99, a quick ratio of 46.79 and a current ratio of 46.79. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $12.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.02.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $33.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.20 million. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 10.51% and a net margin of 66.65%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.38 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.66%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 243.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Ellington Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. JMP Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Ellington Financial from $14.50 to $14.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ellington Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $13.85.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CIO Michael W. Vranos sold 5,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.12, for a total transaction of $71,508.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive now directly owns 179,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,177,418.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CIO Michael W. Vranos sold 5,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.12, for a total transaction of $71,508.00. Following the transaction, the executive now owns 179,655 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,177,418.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CIO Michael W. Vranos sold 8,300 shares of Ellington Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.15, for a total transaction of $100,845.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive now directly owns 160,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,954,619.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,500 shares of company stock worth $272,866. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

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.