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

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ellington Financial

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 3.7% during the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 22,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 811 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake 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 buying an additional 888 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank increased its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 3.5% in the second 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 increased its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC now owns 13,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $186,000 after buying an additional 1,002 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ellington Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Four 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.55.

Ellington Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EFC traded down $0.05 during trading on Monday, hitting $12.95. 1,541,934 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,546,711. Ellington Financial has a 1-year low of $11.12 and a 1-year high of $14.40. The company has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.66 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.64, a quick ratio of 50.60 and a current ratio of 50.60. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.50.

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 yield of 12.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 116.42%.

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.