Franklin Universal Trust (NYSE:FT) Short Interest Down 59.4% in March

Franklin Universal Trust (NYSE:FT - Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 18,900 shares, a decrease of 59.4% from the March 15th total of 46,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 43,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.4 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Franklin Universal Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Franklin Universal Trust in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $614,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Franklin Universal Trust in the fourth quarter worth $212,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in Franklin Universal Trust by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 118,611 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $867,000 after buying an additional 21,488 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Franklin Universal Trust by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 273,464 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,999,000 after acquiring an additional 16,882 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgewealth Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Franklin Universal Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $113,000.

Franklin Universal Trust Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of Franklin Universal Trust stock traded up $0.05 during trading on Friday, reaching $7.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 26,855 shares, compared to its average volume of 43,782. Franklin Universal Trust has a one year low of $6.46 and a one year high of $7.80. The business's fifty day moving average price is $7.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.48.

Franklin Universal Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a $0.0425 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $0.51 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.05%.

About Franklin Universal Trust

Franklin Universal Trust is a closed-ended balanced mutual fund launched by Franklin Resources, Inc The fund is managed by Franklin Advisers, Inc It invests in the public equity and fixed income markets of the United States. The fund invests in companies operating in utility sector. It employs fundamental analysis to invest in a diversified portfolio of corporate bonds and dividend paying utility stocks.