Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (NYSE:ZTR) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest fell 76.1% to 50,038 shares as of July 31, representing just 0.1% of shares outstanding and 0.2 days to cover.
• ZTR shares declined 1.0% to $6.75, trading near their 50-day and 200-day moving averages and within a 12-month range of $6.17 to $7.11.
• The fund declared a monthly dividend of $0.055 per share, payable August 28 to shareholders of record August 13, implying a 9.8% annualized yield; institutional investors own 47.14% of the stock.

Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (NYSE:ZTR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 50,038 shares, a decrease of 76.1% from the July 15th total of 209,690 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 243,403 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.2 days.

Virtus Total Return Fund Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of ZTR stock traded down $0.07 on Thursday, reaching $6.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 114,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 181,545. Virtus Total Return Fund has a 12-month low of $6.17 and a 12-month high of $7.11. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $6.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $6.76.

Virtus Total Return Fund Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be issued a $0.055 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.8%.

Institutional Trading of Virtus Total Return Fund

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Readystate Asset Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Virtus Total Return Fund by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP now owns 28,873 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $182,000 after buying an additional 2,136 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in Virtus Total Return Fund by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 25,323 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 2,201 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its position in Virtus Total Return Fund by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 26,367 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $180,000 after acquiring an additional 2,648 shares during the last quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors increased its stake in Virtus Total Return Fund by 21.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 16,578 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 2,982 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Virtus Total Return Fund by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 59,951 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 47.14% of the company's stock.

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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