Western Asset High Income Fund II Inc. (NYSE:HIX) Short Interest Up 56.1% in August

Western Asset High Income Fund II Inc. (NYSE:HIX) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 550,301 shares, a growth of 56.1% from the August 15th total of 352,565 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 379,512 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days.

Western Asset High Income Fund II Price Performance

HIX opened at $3.77 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $3.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3.95. Western Asset High Income Fund II has a 12-month low of $3.74 and a 12-month high of $4.40.

Western Asset High Income Fund II Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 20th will be given a $0.049 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 20th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.6%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AlphaCore Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Asset High Income Fund II by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 60,686 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 2,718 shares during the last quarter. Integrity Advisory Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Western Asset High Income Fund II by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. Integrity Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 20,850 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 3,438 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its stake in Western Asset High Income Fund II by 45.5% during the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 16,000 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Western Asset High Income Fund II by 26.3% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 39,054 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $162,000 after buying an additional 8,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Western Asset High Income Fund II by 187.1% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 14,441 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 9,411 shares in the last quarter.

Western Asset High Income Fund II Company Profile

Western Asset High Income Fund II (NYSE: HIX) is a closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide high current income by investing primarily in below-investment-grade debt instruments. The fund pursues a diversified portfolio of high-yield corporate bonds, senior loans, mortgage- and asset-backed securities, and emerging-market debt, aiming to generate attractive yield while managing credit and interest rate risk.

The fund may employ leverage through borrowings and the issuance of preferred shares to enhance its income potential.