Western Asset Bond ETF (NASDAQ:WABF) Short Interest Up 253.4% in March

Western Asset Bond ETF (NASDAQ:WABF) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,212 shares, an increase of 253.4% from the March 15th total of 626 shares. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 858 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Western Asset Bond ETF by 50.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Encompass More Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of Western Asset Bond ETF by 32.1% in the third quarter. Encompass More Asset Management now owns 49,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,269,000 after buying an additional 12,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Landmark Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Western Asset Bond ETF by 7.2% in the third quarter. Landmark Wealth Management LLC now owns 137,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,506,000 after buying an additional 9,260 shares in the last quarter.

Western Asset Bond ETF Stock Performance

Shares of WABF opened at $25.25 on Friday. Western Asset Bond ETF has a fifty-two week low of $24.31 and a fifty-two week high of $25.79. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $25.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.44.

Western Asset Bond ETF Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st were issued a $0.0942 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. This is a boost from Western Asset Bond ETF’s previous monthly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 1st.

About Western Asset Bond ETF

The Western Asset Bond ETF (WABF) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in broad credit fixed income. The fund actively manages a portfolio comprised of USD-denominated debt instruments and fixed income securities of various maturities, with limited exposure to high yield, emerging market debts, and structured securities. The fund intends to use derivatives to gain exposure, manage risks, and enhance returns. WABF was launched on Sep 19, 2023 and is issued by Franklin Templeton.