Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Short Interest Up 28.4% in December

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) saw a significant increase in short interest in 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Ellington Financial Stock Up 0.6 %

Ellington Financial stock traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $12.56. 722,241 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 954,451. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a current ratio of 37.04. The firm has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 1.97. The business has a fifty day moving average of $12.27 and a 200 day moving average of $12.60. Ellington Financial has a 12-month low of $10.88 and a 12-month high of $13.46.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. The business had revenue of $33.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.95 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.33 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Ellington Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFC. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in Ellington Financial by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 47,814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $616,000 after acquiring an additional 919 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 13.3% during the third quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 14,415 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $186,000 after purchasing an additional 1,688 shares during the period. MAS Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ellington Financial by 4.6% in the second 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 increased its holdings in Ellington Financial by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 70,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $853,000 after buying an additional 1,824 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in Ellington Financial by 12.7% during the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ellington Financial

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.