Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund (NYSE:MSD) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest jumped sharply in Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund, rising 76.5% in June to 33,801 shares, though that still equals only about 0.2% of the float.
• The fund raised its quarterly dividend to $0.15 per share from $0.14 previously, putting the annualized payout at $0.60 and the dividend yield at 8.2%.
• MSD’s shares recently traded near $7.31, close to the lower end of its 52-week range of $6.91 to $7.94, while several institutional investors recently added or expanded positions.

Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund (NYSE:MSD - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 33,801 shares, an increase of 76.5% from the June 15th total of 19,149 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 117,969 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,386,000. Rareview Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund during the first quarter worth about $2,092,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund during the fourth quarter worth about $825,000. Shaker Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund by 97.8% during the fourth quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 180,384 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,355,000 after acquiring an additional 89,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund by 712.9% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 99,528 shares of the company's stock valued at $736,000 after acquiring an additional 87,285 shares in the last quarter.

Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund Price Performance

NYSE:MSD opened at $7.31 on Friday. Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund has a 52 week low of $6.91 and a 52 week high of $7.94. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $7.32 and a 200 day moving average of $7.44.

Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This is a boost from Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund's previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.2%.

About Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund

Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund NYSE: MSD is a closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide a high level of current income. The fund primarily invests in U.S. dollar-denominated sovereign and corporate debt securities issued by governments and corporations in emerging market countries.

MSD's investment strategy emphasizes diversification across regions, sectors and issuers. The fund's portfolio managers use fundamental credit analysis to identify opportunities in markets such as Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.