First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF (NASDAQ:FTSM) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF (NASDAQ:FTSM) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 352,230 shares, a growth of 2,009.4% from the August 31st total of 16,698 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 679,597 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.5 days. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF Price Performance

NASDAQ:FTSM traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $59.69. 1,069,070 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 840,750. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $59.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.84. First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF has a 12 month low of $59.67 and a 12 month high of $60.91.

First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were issued a dividend of $0.2040 per share. This represents a $2.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. This is a drop from First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF’s previous monthly dividend of $0.2060. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BDFS Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF in the fourth quarter worth $63,291,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 865,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,670,000 after purchasing an additional 37,830 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its holdings in First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 733,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,840,000 after purchasing an additional 71,051 shares during the period. &PARTNERS boosted its holdings in First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF by 60.2% in the 4th quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 587,006 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,147,000 after purchasing an additional 220,685 shares during the period. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its position in First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 441,535 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,461,000 after purchasing an additional 55,455 shares during the last quarter.

First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF Company Profile

The First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF (FTSM) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Bloomberg U.S. Short Treasury Bond index. The fund is actively-managed to invest in a variety of fixed income securities with a target maturity of less than three years. FTSM was launched on Aug 5, 2014 and is managed by First Trust.