Short Interest in Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund Inc. (NYSE:MHF) Decreases By 65.9%
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemWestern Asset Municipal High Income Fund Inc. (NYSE:MHF – Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totaling 11,950 shares, a decrease of 65.9% from the April 15th total of 35,054 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 50,244 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.2 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.
Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund Stock Up 0.3%
NYSE MHF traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $6.99. 36,592 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 47,244. Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund has a 52-week low of $6.61 and a 52-week high of $7.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $6.89 and its 200-day moving average is $6.93.
Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.034 per share. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 389,642 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,681,000 after purchasing an additional 56,526 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 96,283 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $662,000 after purchasing an additional 16,843 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 23,432 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $161,000 after purchasing an additional 1,839 shares during the last quarter. Marex Group plc acquired a new position in Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund in the 4th quarter valued at about $158,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund in the 4th quarter valued at about $151,000.
About Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund
Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund Inc is a closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide high current income exempt from federal income taxes. The fund primarily invests in U.S. municipal securities, with an emphasis on high-yield bonds issued by state and local governments, authorities and agencies. Its portfolio may include general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, pre-refunded bonds, insured securities and variable-rate instruments, with the goal of delivering attractive tax-advantaged yields for shareholders.
The fund is managed by Western Asset Management Company, LP, a global fixed-income specialist and subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc Western Asset’s investment team employs a disciplined, research-driven approach, combining top-down macroeconomic analysis with bottom-up credit research to identify opportunities across the municipal bond market.