Short Interest in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Grows By 15.2%

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. B. Riley raised shares of Ellington Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.58.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ellington Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 18,200.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares during 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 boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 2,355 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the third quarter valued at about $62,000. 55.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ellington Financial Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of EFC traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $12.98. The stock had a trading volume of 883,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 838,743. 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 has a 52 week low of $10.88 and a 52 week high of $13.46. The company has a quick ratio of 37.04, a current ratio of 37.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $12.40 and a 200 day moving average of $12.58.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

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

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.