Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Takes Position in Ellington Financial Inc. $EFC

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 385,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,997,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Ellington Financial by 67.6% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,010 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 811 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 134.4% during the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,752 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,578 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 93.9% during the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,735 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 535.9% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 6,181 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 5,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in Ellington Financial by 1,239.4% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 6,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 6,197 shares during the period. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ellington Financial Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:EFC opened at $12.45 on Wednesday. Ellington Financial Inc. has a 52 week low of $11.12 and a 52 week high of $14.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.64, a quick ratio of 50.60 and a current ratio of 50.60. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $13.39 and its 200-day moving average is $13.49. The firm has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.29 and a beta of 0.95.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 116.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $14.55.

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.