Short Interest in First Trust Senior Loan ETF (NASDAQ:FTSL) Increases By 490.6%

First Trust Senior Loan ETF (NASDAQ:FTSL) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 181,900 shares, a growth of 490.6% from the March 31st total of 30,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 311,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Institutional Trading of First Trust Senior Loan ETF

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in First Trust Senior Loan ETF during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 189.5% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 770 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF in the fourth quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, Consultiva Wealth Management CORP. purchased a new stake in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at about $99,000.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Stock Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ:FTSL traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $46.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 183,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 321,345. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $46.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.99. First Trust Senior Loan ETF has a twelve month low of $44.53 and a twelve month high of $46.99.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.69%.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Company Profile

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.