Atom Investors LP Takes $130,000 Position in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC)

Atom Investors LP bought a new position in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 10,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $130,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of EFC. CWM LLC raised its stake in Ellington Financial by 150.2% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,602 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,562 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $68,000. Members Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial during the third quarter worth $129,000. Creative Planning purchased a new position in Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $141,000. Finally, PFG Investments LLC acquired a new position in Ellington Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $141,000. 55.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ellington Financial Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Ellington Financial stock opened at $12.16 on Friday. Ellington Financial Inc. has a one year low of $10.88 and a one year high of $13.46. The company has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.28 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 fifty day moving average of $12.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.56.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.04. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. The firm had revenue of $33.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.95 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.33 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.83%. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.08%.

Insider Activity at Ellington Financial

In other news, CIO Michael W. Vranos sold 14,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.48, for a total value of $174,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive now owns 168,359 shares in the company, valued at $2,101,120.32. This trade represents a 7.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company 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.