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

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 4,605,585 shares, an increase of 28.4% from the January 15th total of 3,588,108 shares. Approximately 4.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,017,551 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,017,551 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 4.1% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.55.

Ellington Financial Stock Down 0.9%

EFC stock opened at $12.82 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $13.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.64, a quick ratio of 50.60 and a current ratio of 50.60. Ellington Financial has a fifty-two week low of $11.12 and a fifty-two week high of $14.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.57 and a beta of 0.95.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 116.42%.

Institutional Trading of Ellington Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EFC. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in Ellington Financial by 3.7% in the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 22,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 67.6% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,010 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 811 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Ellington Financial by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 15,170 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $197,000 after purchasing an additional 888 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in Ellington Financial by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 26,688 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 897 shares during the period. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC boosted its stake in Ellington Financial by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC now owns 13,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $186,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002 shares during the period. 55.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ellington Financial Company Profile

Ellington Financial, Inc (NYSE: EFC) is a mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses on generating attractive risk-adjusted returns through investments in residential and commercial mortgage-related assets. Established in 2013, the company is externally managed by Ellington Financial Management, L.P., a subsidiary of Ellington Management Group, an alternative asset management firm. EFC’s core strategy centers on actively acquiring and managing agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS), mortgage servicing rights, residential whole loans, and other structured finance instruments, including asset-backed securities and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS).

The company employs leverage and structured financing tools—such as repurchase agreements and secured credit facilities—to enhance portfolio yield while maintaining focus on risk mitigation.