First Trust Senior Loan ETF (NASDAQ:FTSL) Short Interest Update

First Trust Senior Loan ETF (NASDAQ:FTSL) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 169,105 shares, an increase of 167.6% from the August 15th total of 63,183 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 192,175 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.9 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s shares are sold short.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Stock Performance

FTSL stock traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $44.92. The company had a trading volume of 335,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 290,123. First Trust Senior Loan ETF has a 52 week low of $44.37 and a 52 week high of $46.15. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $44.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.92.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a $0.225 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Trust Senior Loan ETF

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FTSL. Welch & Forbes LLC boosted its position in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 696,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,977,000 after purchasing an additional 18,753 shares in the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 31.9% in the 1st quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 48,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,164,000 after acquiring an additional 11,683 shares in the last quarter. Stenger Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $2,005,000. WMS Group LLC purchased a new position in First Trust Senior Loan ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,174,000. Finally, Andina Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in First Trust Senior Loan ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,169,000.

About First Trust Senior Loan ETF

The First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the S&P\u002FLSTA U.S. Leveraged Loan 100 index. The fund holds senior floating rate bank loans from firms around the globe. The actively managed fund can hold up to 20% of assets in non-senior loans, including high-yield bonds and equities. FTSL was launched on May 1, 2013 and is managed by First Trust.