Western Asset High Income Fund II Inc. (NYSE:HIX) Short Interest Update

Western Asset High Income Fund II Inc. (NYSE:HIX) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of 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 trading volume, of 402,183 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.5 days.

Western Asset High Income Fund II Stock Performance

NYSE:HIX opened at $3.98 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $3.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.07. Western Asset High Income Fund II has a 52-week low of $3.75 and a 52-week high of $4.40.

Western Asset High Income Fund II Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be given a dividend of $0.049 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th.

Institutional Trading of Western Asset High Income Fund II

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in Western Asset High Income Fund II by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 27,986 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,639 shares during the period. AlphaCore Capital LLC lifted its position in Western Asset High Income Fund II by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 60,686 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $252,000 after acquiring an additional 2,718 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its position in Western Asset High Income Fund II by 18.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 18,691 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 2,914 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in Western Asset High Income Fund II by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 67,237 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $288,000 after acquiring an additional 3,112 shares during the period. Finally, Integrity Advisory Solutions LLC lifted its position in Western Asset High Income Fund II by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. Integrity Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 20,850 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 3,438 shares during the period.

Western Asset High Income Fund II Company Profile

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.