Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Short Interest Up 15.2% in January

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,520,000 shares, an increase of 15.2% from the January 15th total of 4,790,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 892,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.2 days.

Ellington Financial Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:EFC traded up $0.10 on Monday, hitting $12.98. 883,573 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 838,743. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $12.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87, a current ratio of 37.04 and a quick ratio of 37.04. Ellington Financial has a 52 week low of $10.88 and a 52 week high of $13.46. The company has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.90 and a beta of 1.97.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.02%. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.08%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ellington Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFC. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Ellington Financial by 18,200.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 2,548 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 1,610 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 2,355 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in Ellington Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Ellington Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $56,000. 55.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EFC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Ellington Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. B. Riley raised shares of Ellington Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock 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.