Short Interest in Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) Declines By 13.4%

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE:EFC) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 3,987,640 shares, a decline 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 days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,255,579 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ellington Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EFC. CWM LLC grew its position in Ellington Financial by 67.6% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,010 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 811 shares during the period. Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. REAP Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Ellington Financial by 134.4% in the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,752 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,578 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Ellington Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Institutional investors own 55.62% of the company’s stock.

Ellington Financial Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of EFC stock opened at $12.22 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $13.19 and a 200-day moving average of $13.44. The stock has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.93 and a beta of 0.95. Ellington Financial has a 52-week low of $11.12 and a 52-week high of $14.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.02, a quick ratio of 50.60 and a current ratio of 47.25.

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

Ellington Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Ellington Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 126.83%.

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.