Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (NYSE:ZTR) Short Interest Up 201.9% in July

Key Points

• Short interest surged 201.9% in July to 209,690 shares, representing 0.4% of ZTR’s outstanding shares and 1.1 days of average trading volume.
• Institutional investors own 47.14% of Virtus Total Return Fund, with Bank of America, Invesco and Osaic Holdings among those increasing their positions.
• ZTR traded down 0.2% to $6.79 and recently declared a $0.055 monthly dividend, implying an annualized yield of approximately 9.7%.

Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (NYSE:ZTR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 209,690 shares, a growth of 201.9% from the June 30th total of 69,453 shares. Currently, 0.4% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 188,033 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtus Total Return Fund

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ZTR. Oxford Asset Management LLP bought a new position in Virtus Total Return Fund in the fourth quarter worth approximately $415,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Virtus Total Return Fund by 74.9% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 71,282 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $444,000 after acquiring an additional 30,517 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Virtus Total Return Fund by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 71,428 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $450,000 after acquiring an additional 4,627 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Virtus Total Return Fund in the 4th quarter valued at $822,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Virtus Total Return Fund by 33.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 338,441 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $2,108,000 after acquiring an additional 85,767 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 47.14% of the company's stock.

Virtus Total Return Fund Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE ZTR traded down $0.01 on Monday, reaching $6.79. 93,913 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 186,655. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $6.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $6.72. Virtus Total Return Fund has a 12 month low of $6.14 and a 12 month high of $7.11.

Virtus Total Return Fund Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th will be paid a $0.055 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.7%.

Virtus Total Return Fund Company Profile

Virtus Total Return Fund, Inc NYSE: ZTR is a closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide investors with high total return with moderate income. The fund, which began operations in 2005, trades on the New York Stock Exchange and is sponsored by Virtus Investment Partners. ZTR offers investors access to a diversified mix of fixed-income and equity opportunities within a single vehicle.

To pursue its stated objective, the fund typically allocates across a broad range of asset classes, including corporate debt securities, high-yield bonds, convertible securities, preferred stocks, common stocks and real estate investment trusts (REITs).

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