Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Short Interest Down 11.6% in February

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,880,000 shares, a decline of 11.6% from the January 31st total of 5,520,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 929,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.3 days.

Ellington Financial Price Performance

NYSE EFC opened at $13.62 on Friday. Ellington Financial has a 12 month low of $10.88 and a 12 month high of $14.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87, a current ratio of 37.04 and a quick ratio of 37.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 1.99. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.65.

Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.07. Ellington Financial had a net margin of 106.40% and a return on equity of 10.26%. The firm had revenue of $38.13 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $112.88 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ellington Financial will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a mar 25 dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Ellington Financial’s payout ratio is 113.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on EFC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of Ellington Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, B. Riley raised Ellington Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ellington Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ellington Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFC. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Ellington Financial by 18,200.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 162.3% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,602 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,610 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ellington Financial by 814.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 2,355 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $56,000. 55.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Ellington Financial

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.