Western Asset Mortgage Opportunity Fund Inc Share News

Western Asset Mortgage Opportunity Fund has increased its distribution for the fourth consecutive time. DMO primarily allocates to non-agency residential mortgages, with a smaller holding in commercial mortgages. The fund's net income has been steadily rising, driven by floating-rate holdings and increased borrowings.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Category: Financials.

We review CEF market valuation and performance through the fourth week of April and highlight recent market action. CEFs were mostly up on the week, however remain in the red through the month. Investors should evaluate funds based on historic total NAV return and individual features, rather than price behavior.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Effective March 1, 2024, the named portfolio management team responsible for the day-to-day oversight of the Fund is as follows:

Western Asset Mortgage Opportunity Fund Inc. is a fixed income CEF focused on mortgage bonds that offers a supported 12% yield. DMO pursues a different strategy than most mortgage funds by purchasing junior and subordinated tranches of MBS bonds, taking true credit risk. The housing market is currently 'stuck' rather than experiencing a collapse, which is favorable for DMO's collateral.

For the first month in three, equity CEFs (-0.59% on a NAV basis) suffered losses while their fixed-income CEF (+0.49%) counterparts on average posted plus-side returns. At month-end, 11% of all CEFs traded at a premium to their NAV, with 12% of equity CEFs and 10% of fixed-income CEFs trading in premium territory. Income & Preferred Stock CEFs (+1.44%), for the first month in four, outpaced th...

Key Decision Factors For CEF Allocation In Today's Market

DMO allocates primarily to residential mortgage assets. It has delivered a third distribution hike in a row, equating to a 13.4% yield on price. The fund's primarily residential mortgage allocation provides an attractive diversifier in income portfolios and is anchored off strong household credit metrics. We continue to hold the fund in our High Income Portfolio.