Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Short Interest Update

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,960,000 shares, a growth of 28.4% from the December 15th total of 4,640,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 857,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.9 days.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

Shares of Ellington Financial stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $12.56. The stock had a trading volume of 722,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 954,451. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $12.27 and its 200 day moving average is $12.60. The company has a current ratio of 37.04, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87. Ellington Financial has a twelve month low of $10.88 and a twelve month high of $13.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 1.97.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $33.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.95 million. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 106.40%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.33 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.43%. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 119.08%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ellington Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $62,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $68,000. Members Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $129,000. Atom Investors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $130,000. Finally, Creative Planning acquired a new position in Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $141,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, B. Riley raised Ellington Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $13.58.

Ellington Financial Company 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.