First Trust Senior Loan ETF (NASDAQ:FTSL) Short Interest Up 1,424.8% in January

First Trust Senior Loan ETF (NASDAQ:FTSL) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 978,900 shares, a growth of 1,424.8% from the December 31st total of 64,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 270,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FTSL. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB purchased a new position in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF in the third quarter worth about $81,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in First Trust Senior Loan ETF in the third quarter valued at approximately $98,000. NBC Securities Inc. grew its holdings in First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 3,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FLC Capital Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF during the fourth quarter valued at about $210,000.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Price Performance

FTSL stock opened at $46.26 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $46.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.14. First Trust Senior Loan ETF has a 12-month low of $45.23 and a 12-month high of $46.99.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.2675 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd.

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.