Short Interest in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Grows By 39.0%

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 6,356,062 shares, an increase of 39.0% from the March 15th total of 4,571,267 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,378,431 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days. Currently, 5.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Ellington Financial Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE EFC opened at $12.69 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.31 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $12.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.02, a quick ratio of 47.25 and a current ratio of 47.25. Ellington Financial has a 52-week low of $11.27 and a 52-week high of $14.12.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $96.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $132.07 million. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 53.10% and a return on equity of 14.62%. Analysts expect that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.3%. Ellington Financial’s payout ratio is currently 126.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EFC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ellington Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $14.56.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ellington Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. REAP Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Ellington Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Ellington Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in Ellington Financial by 35.3% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 4,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 1,078 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Ellington Financial by 535.9% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 6,181 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 5,209 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

About Ellington Financial

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.