Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC Purchases Shares of 46,575 Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)

Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 46,575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $564,000. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC owned about 0.05% of Ellington Financial as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Ellington Financial by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 749,307 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,082,000 after buying an additional 22,528 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 231,543 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,985,000 after acquiring an additional 75,143 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 230.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 138,440 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,784,000 after purchasing an additional 96,525 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ellington Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,965,296 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,338,000 after purchasing an additional 46,530 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

Ellington Financial Stock Performance

NYSE EFC opened at $12.61 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 1.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a current ratio of 37.04. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $12.28 and a 200-day moving average of $12.61. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 52-week low of $10.88 and a 52-week high of $13.46.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $33.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.95 million. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 106.40%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.33 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.38%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, B. Riley upgraded Ellington Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $13.58.

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.