Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 88,884 Ellington Financial Inc. $EFC

Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 88,884 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,210,000. Ellington Financial accounts for about 0.6% of Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 15.1% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 179,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,384,000 after buying an additional 23,553 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning bought a new position in Ellington Financial during the second quarter valued at about $176,000. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in Ellington Financial during the second quarter worth about $166,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Ellington Financial by 16.6% during the second quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 27,434 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 3,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Ellington Financial in the second quarter worth about $138,000. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

EFC opened at $13.59 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.28 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 52.06, a current ratio of 52.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $13.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.04. Ellington Financial Inc. has a twelve month low of $11.27 and a twelve month high of $14.12.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $134.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.59 million. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 52.43% and a return on equity of 16.61%. Equities analysts expect that Ellington Financial Inc. will post 2.13 EPS for the current year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.5%. Ellington Financial’s payout ratio is presently 95.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Ellington Financial Profile

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.