Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund (NYSE:NFJ) Short Interest Down 96.9% in July

Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund (NYSE:NFJ) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 5,598 shares, a drop of 96.9% from the July 15th total of 178,222 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 292,743 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.0 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NFJ. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund by 303.0% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 459,053 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $5,568,000 after buying an additional 345,156 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund during the 1st quarter worth approximately $265,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 35,135 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 2,521 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund in the second quarter valued at approximately $173,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund by 11.5% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 8,105 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 836 shares during the last quarter.

Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NFJ traded up $0.07 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $15.54. 140,561 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 190,527. Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund has a 52 week low of $12.25 and a 52 week high of $15.57. The company’s 50 day moving average is $15.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.14.

Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 29th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $0.305 dividend. This represents a $1.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th.

Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund Company Profile

The Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund (NYSE: NFJ) is a diversified closed-end management investment company that seeks to deliver current income and total return through a combination of equity securities, fixed-income instruments and an equity option?writing strategy. The fund allocates its assets among U.S.-listed common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities and corporate bonds, while employing covered call and put option overlays to generate additional premium income and enhance yield.

Launched in February 2011, NFJ is managed by the investment professionals at Virtus Investment Advisers, LLC, who focus on identifying dividend-paying companies with strong fundamentals and attractive valuations.