Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 3,987,640 shares, a decrease of 13.4% from the January 29th total of 4,605,585 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,255,579 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,255,579 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ellington Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $14.56.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

Shares of EFC stock traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $12.36. The company had a trading volume of 262,360 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,223,335. Ellington Financial has a 12-month low of $11.12 and a 12-month high of $14.12. The company has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.05 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.02, a quick ratio of 50.60 and a current ratio of 44.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $13.25 and a 200-day moving average of $13.45.

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

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 126.83%.

Institutional Trading of Ellington Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in Ellington Financial by 79.1% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 26,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 11,684 shares during the period. one8zero8 LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $149,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter worth $352,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 228.0% in the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 103,998 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,412,000 after purchasing an additional 72,287 shares during the period. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ellington Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $646,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

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.