Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund (NYSE:NFJ) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund (NYSE:NFJ) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 46,534 shares, an increase of 500.5% from the August 15th total of 7,749 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 111,733 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.4 days.

Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NFJ opened at $15.49 on Friday. Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund has a 1-year low of $12.25 and a 1-year high of $15.75. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $15.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.45.

Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be paid a $0.305 dividend. This represents a $1.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 14th.

Institutional Trading of Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund by 19.7% during the 1st quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 18,316 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 3,011 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $452,000. Stephens Inc. AR grew its position in Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund by 9.5% during the first quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 58,968 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $744,000 after buying an additional 5,104 shares during the period. Berger Financial Group Inc purchased a new stake in Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $126,000. Finally, Uhlmann Price Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Uhlmann Price Securities LLC now owns 43,174 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $544,000 after purchasing an additional 1,023 shares in the last quarter.

Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund Company Profile

The Virtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy Fund (NYSE: NFJ) is a diversified closed-end management investment company that seeks to deliver current income and total return through a combination of equity securities, fixed-income instruments and an equity option?writing strategy. The fund allocates its assets among U.S.-listed common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities and corporate bonds, while employing covered call and put option overlays to generate additional premium income and enhance yield.

Launched in February 2011, NFJ is managed by the investment professionals at Virtus Investment Advisers, LLC, who focus on identifying dividend-paying companies with strong fundamentals and attractive valuations.