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

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) saw a large 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 daily volume of 857,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.9 days.

Ellington Financial Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:EFC traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $12.56. 722,241 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 954,451. The company has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 1.97. 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 twelve month low of $10.88 and a twelve month high of $13.46. The company’s 50 day moving average is $12.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.60.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $33.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.95 million. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.33 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $564,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 749,307 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,082,000 after acquiring an additional 22,528 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 48.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 231,543 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,985,000 after acquiring an additional 75,143 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 230.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 138,440 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,784,000 after buying an additional 96,525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $62,000. 55.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, B. Riley raised Ellington Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ellington Financial currently has an average 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.