Short Interest in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Rises By 28.4%

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, B. Riley raised Ellington Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ellington Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $13.58.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

NYSE EFC traded up $0.08 during trading on Friday, hitting $12.56. 722,241 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 954,451. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $12.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.60. The company has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 1.97. Ellington Financial has a fifty-two week low of $10.88 and a fifty-two week high of $13.46. 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 (NYSE:EFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $33.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.95 million. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.33 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.43%. Ellington Financial’s payout ratio is 119.08%.

Institutional Trading of Ellington Financial

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Ellington Financial by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 247,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,989,000 after buying an additional 16,722 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in Ellington Financial by 12.7% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 23,813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 2,688 shares in the last quarter. MAS Advisors LLC raised its position in Ellington Financial by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. MAS Advisors LLC now owns 38,972 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $471,000 after buying an additional 1,707 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in Ellington Financial by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 70,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $853,000 after acquiring an additional 1,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 14.9% during the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 187,089 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,260,000 after acquiring an additional 24,204 shares during the last quarter. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.