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

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

Ellington Financial Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE EFC opened at $12.18 on Monday. Ellington Financial has a twelve month low of $10.88 and a twelve month high of $13.46. The firm has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of 9.30 and a beta of 1.97. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.59. The company has a quick ratio of 37.04, a current ratio of 37.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87.

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

Ellington Financial Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CIO Michael W. Vranos sold 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive now owns 168,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,101,120.32. This represents a 7.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ellington Financial

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its position in Ellington Financial by 1,667.2% during the 2nd quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 282,746 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 266,746 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in Ellington Financial during the third quarter valued at $62,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Ellington Financial in the third quarter valued at $68,000. Members Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Ellington Financial in the third quarter worth about $129,000. Finally, Atom Investors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $130,000. 55.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.