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

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,880,000 shares, a drop of 11.6% from the January 31st total of 5,520,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 929,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.3 days.

Ellington Financial Stock Performance

Shares of EFC traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $13.52. 998,777 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,080,704. The company has a quick ratio of 37.04, a current ratio of 37.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87. Ellington Financial has a 52 week low of $10.88 and a 52 week high of $14.40. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.64. The firm has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.32 and a beta of 1.97.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $38.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $112.88 million. Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 106.40%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Ellington Financial’s payout ratio is currently 113.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. B. Riley raised Ellington Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Ellington Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $14.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ellington Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EFC. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Ellington Financial by 18,200.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 2,548 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 162.3% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,602 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,610 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 814.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 2,355 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in Ellington Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in Ellington Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

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.