Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Short Interest Down 11.3% in December

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,640,000 shares, a decrease of 11.3% from the November 30th total of 5,230,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 854,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.4 days.

Ellington Financial Trading Down 0.5 %

Ellington Financial stock opened at $12.18 on Monday. Ellington Financial has a 12 month low of $10.88 and a 12 month high of $13.46. The company has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.30 and a beta of 1.97. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $12.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.59. The company has a current ratio of 37.04, a quick ratio of 37.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $33.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.95 million. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.33 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ellington Financial will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.81%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.08%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ellington Financial news, CIO Michael W. Vranos sold 14,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.48, for a total transaction of $174,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive now owns 168,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,101,120.32. This trade represents a 7.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ellington Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp increased its stake in Ellington Financial by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,140,371 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,885,000 after buying an additional 124,943 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Ellington Financial by 146.5% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 726,779 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,368,000 after purchasing an additional 431,945 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Ellington Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $695,000. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Ellington Financial by 230.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 138,440 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,784,000 after buying an additional 96,525 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Ellington Financial by 5.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 778,931 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,040,000 after buying an additional 41,669 shares during the last quarter. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.