Short Interest in First Trust Senior Loan ETF (NASDAQ:FTSL) Declines By 55.2%

First Trust Senior Loan ETF (NASDAQ:FTSL) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 125,073 shares, a decrease of 55.2% from the December 15th total of 279,143 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 277,010 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.5 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 277,010 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.5 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FTSL traded down $0.02 during trading on Thursday, reaching $46.07. The company had a trading volume of 176,971 shares, compared to its average volume of 226,999. First Trust Senior Loan ETF has a twelve month low of $44.30 and a twelve month high of $46.52. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $45.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.93.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th.

Institutional Trading of First Trust Senior Loan ETF

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FTSL. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC now owns 52,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,391,000 after acquiring an additional 4,054 shares during the period. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in First Trust Senior Loan ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at $879,000. Western Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 11.0% in the 2nd quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 1,732 shares in the last quarter. Flaharty Asset Management LLC raised its position in First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 1.1% in the second quarter. Flaharty Asset Management LLC now owns 723,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,223,000 after purchasing an additional 8,215 shares during the period. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 36.0% during the third quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 124,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,703,000 after purchasing an additional 32,963 shares in the last quarter.

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.