First Trust Senior Loan ETF (NASDAQ:FTSL) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

First Trust Senior Loan ETF (NASDAQ:FTSL) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totaling 95,023 shares, a decline of 41.8% from the May 31st total of 163,146 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 198,049 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.5 days. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s shares are sold short.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FTSL traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $44.80. 67,569 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 308,712. First Trust Senior Loan ETF has a 52-week low of $44.37 and a 52-week high of $46.19. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $45.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.23.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 25th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 25th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FTSL. New England Private Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 2,022.3% during the fourth quarter. New England Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,774,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,455,000 after acquiring an additional 1,691,007 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,563,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,655,000 after purchasing an additional 60,649 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,550,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,145,000 after purchasing an additional 25,058 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 15.7% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,274,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,097,000 after purchasing an additional 173,354 shares in the last quarter. Finally, One Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. One Capital Management LLC now owns 1,263,061 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,949,000 after buying an additional 128,141 shares during the period.

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. FTSL was launched on May 1, 2013 and is managed by First Trust.