Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) shareholder returns have been , earning 5.7% in 3 years
Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 23% in the last month. But that doesn't help the fact that the three year return is less impressive. Truth be told the share price declined 22% in three years and that return, Dear Reader, falls short of what you could have got from passive investing with an index fund.
The recent uptick of 13% could be a positive sign of things to come, so let's take a look at historical fundamentals.
View our latest analysis for Ellington Financial
In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.
Ellington Financial saw its share price decline over the three years in which its EPS also dropped, falling to a loss. Due to the loss, it's not easy to use EPS as a reliable guide to the business. But it's safe to say we'd generally expect the share price to be lower as a result!
The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).
This free interactive report on Ellington Financial's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.
What About Dividends?
When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Ellington Financial the TSR over the last 3 years was 5.7%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!
A Different Perspective
Although it hurts that Ellington Financial returned a loss of 11% in the last twelve months, the broader market was actually worse, returning a loss of 21%. Of course, the long term returns are far more important and the good news is that over five years, the stock has returned 10% for each year. It could be that the business is just facing some short term problems, but shareholders should keep a close eye on the fundamentals. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Ellington Financial better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Ellington Financial you should be aware of, and 2 of them shouldn't be ignored.
For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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