Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, mortgage REIT Ellington Financial (EFC -1.03%) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Ellington and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Ellington facts

Headquarters

Old Greenwich, Conn.

Market Cap

$462.3 million 

Industry

Mortgage investment

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$55.0 million

Management

CEO Laurence Penn
CFO Lisa Mumford

Return on Capital (average, past 3 years)

12.2%

Cash/Debt

$73.1 million / $682.5 million

Dividend Yield

9.8%

Competitors

Galiot Capital
MFA Financial (MFA -0.65%)
Sutherland Asset Management

Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, all of the 14 members who have rated Ellington believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Earlier this month, one of those Fools, All-Star Staka, tapped Ellington as a particularly attractive short-term opportunity:

Postive:
-A leveraged bet on FED policy (borrow short for guaranteed low rates and buy what the FED is buying)

Negative:
-One day the trust in the FEDs ability to pump the market will disappear, on this day unfortunately all these companies employing leveraged bets will go broke in no time but I don't expect this to happen within one year

If you want market-thumping returns, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future. Of course, despite its five-star rating, Ellington may not be your top choice.

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Want to see how well (or not so well) the stocks in this series are performing? Follow the TrackPoisedTo CAPS account.