Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund Inc. (NYSE:HIO) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund Inc. (NYSE:HIO) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 87,388 shares, a drop of 60.3% from the July 15th total of 219,943 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 477,688 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.2 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sit Investment Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund by 33.2% in the fourth quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. now owns 2,235,264 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $8,293,000 after purchasing an additional 556,840 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,220,952 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $4,530,000 after buying an additional 201,345 shares during the last quarter. FCA Corp TX increased its stake in Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. FCA Corp TX now owns 1,206,739 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $4,380,000 after buying an additional 66,178 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 776,289 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $2,880,000 after buying an additional 92,096 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its position in Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund by 59.7% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 753,190 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $2,892,000 after buying an additional 281,615 shares during the last quarter.

Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund Stock Down 0.4%

HIO opened at $3.56 on Friday. Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund has a 52 week low of $3.47 and a 52 week high of $4.05. The business’s 50 day moving average is $3.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.66.

Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 20th will be issued a $0.0355 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 20th.

Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund Company Profile

Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund Inc (NYSE: HIO) is a diversified closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide high current income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in high-yield and other fixed-income securities. The Fund’s portfolio is actively managed by Western Asset Management Company, an affiliate of Franklin Templeton, and may include below-investment-grade corporate debt, emerging-market sovereign and corporate bonds, bank loans, mortgage- and asset-backed securities.