Western Asset High Income Fund II Inc. (NYSE:HIX) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Western Asset High Income Fund II Inc. (NYSE:HIX) saw a large growth in short interest in May. As of May 29th, there was short interest totaling 210,438 shares, a growth of 61.7% from the May 14th total of 130,107 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 402,183 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.5 days.

Institutional Trading of Western Asset High Income Fund II

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HIX. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in Western Asset High Income Fund II by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,906,673 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $16,252,000 after purchasing an additional 276,280 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Western Asset High Income Fund II by 1.3% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 962,436 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $4,187,000 after purchasing an additional 12,373 shares during the period. GraniteShares Advisors LLC bought a new position in Western Asset High Income Fund II during the fourth quarter worth about $2,762,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Western Asset High Income Fund II by 23.2% during the fourth quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 573,337 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $2,385,000 after purchasing an additional 108,088 shares during the period. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its stake in Western Asset High Income Fund II by 124.7% during the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 544,204 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $2,264,000 after purchasing an additional 301,968 shares during the period.

Western Asset High Income Fund II Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIX opened at $4.01 on Wednesday. Western Asset High Income Fund II has a 1-year low of $3.75 and a 1-year high of $4.40. The business’s 50 day moving average is $3.97 and its 200-day moving average is $4.07.

Western Asset High Income Fund II Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.049 per share. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th.

About Western Asset High Income Fund II

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.