Templeton Dragon Fund, Inc. (NYSE:TDF) Short Interest Up 180.5% in July

Templeton Dragon Fund, Inc. (NYSE:TDF) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 35,368 shares, an increase of 180.5% from the July 15th total of 12,611 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 59,486 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Templeton Dragon Fund by 14.3% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 248,420 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,482,000 after acquiring an additional 31,170 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Templeton Dragon Fund in the third quarter valued at approximately $144,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Templeton Dragon Fund during the fourth quarter worth approximately $694,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Templeton Dragon Fund by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 75,865 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $854,000 after purchasing an additional 2,800 shares during the period. Finally, Cohen & Steers Inc. increased its stake in shares of Templeton Dragon Fund by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 70,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $788,000 after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares during the period. 47.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Templeton Dragon Fund Price Performance

Shares of TDF traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $10.87. The company had a trading volume of 41,972 shares, compared to its average volume of 54,230. The business has a fifty day moving average of $10.77 and a 200-day moving average of $11.09. Templeton Dragon Fund has a 12 month low of $10.26 and a 12 month high of $12.20.

Templeton Dragon Fund Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were paid a $0.15 dividend. This is an increase from Templeton Dragon Fund’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 23rd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.5%.

About Templeton Dragon Fund

Templeton Dragon Fund (NYSE:TDF) is a closed-end investment company managed by Franklin Templeton Investment Funds. Established in March 1987, the fund was one of the earliest U.S.-listed vehicles dedicated to providing exposure to the Greater China equity markets. Over its long operating history, Templeton Dragon Fund has sought to capture growth opportunities in a region undergoing rapid economic transformation.

The fund’s primary investment objective is long-term capital appreciation through a diversified portfolio of common stocks, depositary receipts and other equity-related securities of companies domiciled in, or deriving significant revenue from, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.