First Trust Senior Loan ETF (NASDAQ:FTSL) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

First Trust Senior Loan ETF (NASDAQ:FTSL) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 502,600 shares, an increase of 1,007.0% from the February 28th total of 45,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 316,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.6 days. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Trading Down 0.1 %

FTSL traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $46.01. The company had a trading volume of 275,524 shares, compared to its average volume of 279,764. First Trust Senior Loan ETF has a twelve month low of $45.23 and a twelve month high of $46.55. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.18.

First Trust Senior Loan ETF Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.2625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FTSL. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB acquired a new stake in First Trust Senior Loan ETF in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. raised its holdings in First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 377.2% during the 4th quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 773 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in First Trust Senior Loan ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Trust Senior Loan ETF by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the last quarter.

About First Trust Senior Loan ETF

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.