The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Buys New Shares in Ellington Financial Inc. $EFC

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 51,525 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $701,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,607 shares in the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Ellington Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Ellington Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $44,000. Huntington National Bank grew its position in Ellington Financial by 35.3% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 4,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 1,078 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Ellington Financial by 18.3% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 785 shares during the last quarter. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ellington Financial Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE EFC opened at $13.50 on Friday. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.27 and a 1 year high of $14.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a PE ratio of 8.23 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.39, a current ratio of 52.06 and a quick ratio of 52.06. The business’s 50-day moving average is $13.50 and its 200 day moving average is $13.07.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts’ expectations of $114.59 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 11.6%. Ellington Financial’s payout ratio is 95.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ellington Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Ellington Financial from $14.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. BTIG Research lowered Ellington Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Ellington Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.