Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Shares Purchased by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 821,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 42,093 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.91% of Ellington Financial worth $9,951,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of EFC. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Ellington Financial by 162.3% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,602 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,610 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in Ellington Financial during the third quarter worth about $62,000. Atom Investors LP acquired a new stake in Ellington Financial during the third quarter worth about $130,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Ellington Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $133,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in Ellington Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $135,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EFC opened at $13.24 on Friday. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 52 week low of $10.88 and a 52 week high of $14.40. The company has a current ratio of 37.04, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $12.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.66.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.07. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. The business had revenue of $38.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $112.88 million. Analysts anticipate that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a mar 25 dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 11.7%. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 113.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EFC has been the topic of several analyst reports. B. Riley upgraded shares of Ellington Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Ellington Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $14.00.

About Ellington Financial

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.