HYI Western Asset High Yield Defined Opportunity Fund Inc. — distribution yield, history & ex-dividend dates
The Western Asset High Yield Defined Opportunity Fund Inc. functions as a closed-end investment vehicle, concentrating its portfolio on fixed-income assets. Its inception and primary oversight are managed by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC. Additionally, a collective of entities including Western Asset Management Company, Western Asset Management Company Pte. Ltd., Western Asset Management Company Ltd, and Western Asset Management Company Limited contribute to its co-management. The fund strategically allocates capital across global fixed-income markets, with a particular focus on high-yielding corporate debt instruments. These securities often possess diverse maturity profiles and are typically categorized as below investment grade. Established on July 20, 2010, the fund is legally based in the United States.
Distribution Snapshot
Key Metrics
Distribution Yield
11.18%
At the Sep 14, 2026 price
The annual dividend as a percentage of the share price. A 3% yield is about $3 of dividends a year for every $100 invested at today's price.Annualized Distribution
$1.1400
The most recent payment scaled to a full year by how often it's paid. A $0.25 quarterly dividend annualizes to $1.00.Frequency
M Monthly
How often the dividend is paid: Q = quarterly (4x a year), M = monthly, S = semi-annual, A = annual.Rank Score
53.4
As of Sep 14, 2026
Our 0-100 house score blending yield quality, payout sustainability (the trailing-twelve-month payout ratio), profitability (TTM return on equity), valuation (TTM price-to-book) and payment reliability, recomputed daily. Higher means a stronger profile on those factors in our model — a research score, not advice or a recommendation to buy.RSI (14)
24
As of Sep 14, 2026
Relative Strength Index (0-100), a price-momentum gauge. Above 70 is often called 'overbought', below 30 'oversold'. A technical signal, not a dividend metric.52-Week Range
$10.20 – $12.09
Closes through Sep 11, 2026
The lowest and highest price over the past year — shows where today's price sits in its recent range.Payout Ratio
n/a
The share of earnings paid out as dividends over the trailing twelve months (TTM): dividends paid divided by net income across the company's four most recent reported quarters, dated by the latest quarter end. A fiscal-year tag such as FY2025 means only annual figures were available. Lower leaves more cushion; above 100% means paying out more than the company earned. It shows n/a for funds and when net income over the period was negative; for REITs and BDCs it is marked EPS-based, since they are judged on FFO/AFFO or net investment income instead.Years Paying
15
How many years of payments we have on record. This can understate very long histories where our data doesn't reach far enough back.Price / Book (TTM)
0.88
Price as of Sep 14, 2026; latest reported book value
Price-to-book ratio: the share price on the date shown divided by the latest reported book value per share. A rough valuation gauge, most useful for asset-heavy sectors like REITs, banks and insurers.S.A.F.E. Dividend Read
Quote & Key Data
Distribution Growth
Why the Yield Moved (90 Days)
HYI's distribution yield rose from 10.71% to 11.18% over the past ~90 days (+0.46 pp). Of that move, +0.00 pp came from changes in the distribution rate and +0.46 pp from the share price ($10.64 on Jun 16, 2026 → $10.20 on Sep 14, 2026). A yield that rises because the price fell is not an improvement in the payout itself.
Yield vs Its Own History
Across 335 daily observations over the past 16 months (through Sep 11, 2026), HYI's current yield is higher than approximately 100% of them. Our stored price history for HYI covers the past 16 months; 3- and 5-year averages are not yet computable from it and are deliberately not shown.
Adjusted Price History
Distribution History
Distribution Payment History
Ex-dividend calendar →| Amount | Type | Declared | Ex-Date | Record | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.0950 M | Regular upcoming, declared | Aug 05, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | Nov 30, 2026 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular upcoming, declared | Aug 05, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular upcoming, declared | Aug 05, 2026 | Sep 23, 2026 | Sep 23, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | May 14, 2026 | Aug 24, 2026 | Aug 24, 2026 | Aug 31, 2026 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | May 14, 2026 | Jul 24, 2026 | Jul 24, 2026 | Jul 31, 2026 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | May 14, 2026 | Jun 23, 2026 | Jun 23, 2026 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Feb 23, 2026 | May 21, 2026 | May 21, 2026 | May 29, 2026 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Feb 23, 2026 | Apr 23, 2026 | Apr 23, 2026 | Apr 30, 2026 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Feb 23, 2026 | Mar 24, 2026 | Mar 24, 2026 | Mar 31, 2026 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 20, 2025 | Feb 20, 2026 | Feb 20, 2026 | Feb 27, 2026 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 20, 2025 | Jan 23, 2026 | Jan 23, 2026 | Jan 30, 2026 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 20, 2025 | Dec 23, 2025 | Dec 23, 2025 | Dec 31, 2025 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 06, 2025 | Nov 20, 2025 | Nov 20, 2025 | Dec 01, 2025 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 06, 2025 | Oct 24, 2025 | Oct 24, 2025 | Nov 03, 2025 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 06, 2025 | Sep 23, 2025 | Sep 23, 2025 | Oct 01, 2025 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | May 15, 2025 | Aug 22, 2025 | Aug 22, 2025 | Sep 02, 2025 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | May 15, 2025 | Jul 24, 2025 | Jul 24, 2025 | Aug 01, 2025 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | May 15, 2025 | Jun 23, 2025 | Jun 23, 2025 | Jul 01, 2025 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Feb 19, 2025 | May 22, 2025 | May 22, 2025 | Jun 02, 2025 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Feb 19, 2025 | Apr 23, 2025 | Apr 23, 2025 | May 01, 2025 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Feb 19, 2025 | Mar 24, 2025 | Mar 24, 2025 | Apr 01, 2025 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 19, 2024 | Feb 21, 2025 | Feb 21, 2025 | Mar 03, 2025 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 19, 2024 | Jan 24, 2025 | Jan 24, 2025 | Feb 03, 2025 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 19, 2024 | Dec 23, 2024 | Dec 23, 2024 | Dec 31, 2024 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 06, 2024 | Nov 21, 2024 | Nov 21, 2024 | Dec 02, 2024 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 06, 2024 | Oct 24, 2024 | Oct 24, 2024 | Nov 01, 2024 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 06, 2024 | Sep 23, 2024 | Sep 23, 2024 | Oct 01, 2024 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | May 22, 2024 | Aug 23, 2024 | Aug 23, 2024 | Sep 03, 2024 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | May 22, 2024 | Jul 24, 2024 | Jul 24, 2024 | Aug 01, 2024 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | May 22, 2024 | Jun 21, 2024 | Jun 21, 2024 | Jul 01, 2024 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | - | May 22, 2024 | May 23, 2024 | Jun 03, 2024 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Feb 20, 2024 | Apr 22, 2024 | Apr 23, 2024 | May 01, 2024 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Feb 20, 2024 | Mar 20, 2024 | Mar 21, 2024 | Apr 01, 2024 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 14, 2023 | Feb 21, 2024 | Feb 22, 2024 | Mar 01, 2024 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 14, 2023 | Jan 23, 2024 | Jan 24, 2024 | Feb 01, 2024 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 14, 2023 | Dec 20, 2023 | Dec 21, 2023 | Dec 29, 2023 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 02, 2023 | Nov 21, 2023 | Nov 22, 2023 | Dec 01, 2023 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 02, 2023 | Oct 23, 2023 | Oct 24, 2023 | Nov 01, 2023 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 02, 2023 | Sep 21, 2023 | Sep 22, 2023 | Oct 02, 2023 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | May 15, 2023 | Aug 23, 2023 | Aug 24, 2023 | Sep 01, 2023 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | May 15, 2023 | Jul 21, 2023 | Jul 24, 2023 | Aug 01, 2023 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | May 15, 2023 | Jun 22, 2023 | Jun 23, 2023 | Jul 03, 2023 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | Feb 14, 2023 | May 22, 2023 | May 23, 2023 | Jun 01, 2023 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | Feb 14, 2023 | Apr 20, 2023 | Apr 21, 2023 | May 01, 2023 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | Feb 14, 2023 | Mar 23, 2023 | Mar 24, 2023 | Apr 03, 2023 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Nov 14, 2022 | Feb 17, 2023 | Feb 21, 2023 | Mar 01, 2023 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 14, 2022 | Jan 23, 2023 | Jan 24, 2023 | Feb 01, 2023 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 14, 2022 | Dec 21, 2022 | Dec 22, 2022 | Dec 30, 2022 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Aug 02, 2022 | Nov 21, 2022 | Nov 22, 2022 | Dec 01, 2022 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Aug 02, 2022 | Oct 21, 2022 | Oct 24, 2022 | Nov 01, 2022 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Aug 02, 2022 | Sep 22, 2022 | Sep 23, 2022 | Oct 03, 2022 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | May 19, 2022 | Aug 23, 2022 | Aug 24, 2022 | Sep 01, 2022 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | May 18, 2022 | Jul 21, 2022 | Jul 22, 2022 | Aug 01, 2022 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | May 18, 2022 | Jun 22, 2022 | Jun 23, 2022 | Jul 01, 2022 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Feb 18, 2022 | May 20, 2022 | May 23, 2022 | Jun 01, 2022 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Feb 17, 2022 | Apr 21, 2022 | Apr 22, 2022 | May 02, 2022 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Feb 17, 2022 | Mar 23, 2022 | Mar 24, 2022 | Apr 01, 2022 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Nov 19, 2021 | Feb 17, 2022 | Feb 18, 2022 | Mar 01, 2022 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Nov 18, 2021 | Jan 21, 2022 | Jan 24, 2022 | Feb 01, 2022 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Nov 18, 2021 | Dec 22, 2021 | Dec 23, 2021 | Dec 31, 2021 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Aug 06, 2021 | Nov 19, 2021 | Nov 22, 2021 | Dec 01, 2021 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Aug 05, 2021 | Oct 21, 2021 | Oct 22, 2021 | Nov 01, 2021 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Aug 05, 2021 | Sep 22, 2021 | Sep 23, 2021 | Oct 01, 2021 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | May 20, 2021 | Aug 23, 2021 | Aug 24, 2021 | Sep 01, 2021 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | May 19, 2021 | Jul 22, 2021 | Jul 23, 2021 | Aug 02, 2021 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | May 19, 2021 | Jun 22, 2021 | Jun 23, 2021 | Jul 01, 2021 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | Feb 19, 2021 | May 20, 2021 | May 21, 2021 | Jun 01, 2021 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Feb 18, 2021 | Apr 22, 2021 | Apr 23, 2021 | May 03, 2021 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Feb 18, 2021 | Mar 23, 2021 | Mar 24, 2021 | Apr 01, 2021 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 20, 2020 | Feb 18, 2021 | Feb 19, 2021 | Mar 01, 2021 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 19, 2020 | Jan 21, 2021 | Jan 22, 2021 | Feb 01, 2021 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Nov 19, 2020 | Dec 22, 2020 | Dec 23, 2020 | Dec 31, 2020 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 21, 2020 | Nov 19, 2020 | Nov 20, 2020 | Dec 01, 2020 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 20, 2020 | Oct 22, 2020 | Oct 23, 2020 | Nov 02, 2020 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Aug 20, 2020 | Sep 22, 2020 | Sep 23, 2020 | Oct 01, 2020 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | May 21, 2020 | Aug 21, 2020 | Aug 24, 2020 | Sep 01, 2020 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | May 20, 2020 | Jul 23, 2020 | Jul 24, 2020 | Aug 03, 2020 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | May 20, 2020 | Jun 22, 2020 | Jun 23, 2020 | Jul 01, 2020 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | Feb 21, 2020 | May 20, 2020 | May 21, 2020 | Jun 01, 2020 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | Feb 20, 2020 | Apr 22, 2020 | Apr 23, 2020 | May 01, 2020 |
| $0.0945 M | Regular | Feb 20, 2020 | Mar 23, 2020 | Mar 24, 2020 | Apr 01, 2020 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Nov 21, 2019 | Feb 20, 2020 | Feb 21, 2020 | Mar 02, 2020 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Nov 21, 2019 | Jan 23, 2020 | Jan 24, 2020 | Feb 03, 2020 |
| $0.0940 M | Regular | Nov 21, 2019 | Dec 19, 2019 | Dec 20, 2019 | Dec 31, 2019 |
| $0.0905 M | Regular | Aug 20, 2019 | Nov 21, 2019 | Nov 22, 2019 | Dec 02, 2019 |
| $0.0905 M | Regular | Aug 20, 2019 | Oct 17, 2019 | Oct 18, 2019 | Nov 01, 2019 |
| $0.0905 M | Regular | Aug 20, 2019 | Sep 19, 2019 | Sep 20, 2019 | Oct 01, 2019 |
| $0.0890 M | Regular | May 22, 2019 | Aug 22, 2019 | Aug 23, 2019 | Sep 03, 2019 |
| $0.0890 M | Regular | May 22, 2019 | Jul 18, 2019 | Jul 19, 2019 | Aug 01, 2019 |
| $0.0890 M | Regular | May 22, 2019 | Jun 20, 2019 | Jun 21, 2019 | Jul 01, 2019 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | Feb 21, 2019 | May 23, 2019 | May 24, 2019 | Jun 03, 2019 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | Feb 21, 2019 | Apr 17, 2019 | Apr 18, 2019 | May 01, 2019 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | Feb 21, 2019 | Mar 21, 2019 | Mar 22, 2019 | Apr 01, 2019 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | Nov 13, 2018 | Feb 14, 2019 | Feb 15, 2019 | Mar 01, 2019 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | Nov 13, 2018 | Jan 17, 2019 | Jan 18, 2019 | Feb 01, 2019 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | Nov 13, 2018 | Dec 20, 2018 | Dec 21, 2018 | Dec 31, 2018 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | Aug 21, 2018 | Nov 21, 2018 | Nov 23, 2018 | Dec 03, 2018 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | Aug 21, 2018 | Oct 18, 2018 | Oct 19, 2018 | Nov 01, 2018 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | Aug 21, 2018 | Sep 20, 2018 | Sep 21, 2018 | Oct 01, 2018 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | May 15, 2018 | Aug 23, 2018 | Aug 24, 2018 | Sep 04, 2018 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | May 15, 2018 | Jul 19, 2018 | Jul 20, 2018 | Aug 01, 2018 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | May 15, 2018 | Jun 21, 2018 | Jun 22, 2018 | Jul 02, 2018 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | Feb 16, 2018 | May 24, 2018 | May 25, 2018 | Jun 01, 2018 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | Feb 16, 2018 | Apr 19, 2018 | Apr 20, 2018 | May 01, 2018 |
| $0.0885 M | Regular | Feb 16, 2018 | Mar 22, 2018 | Mar 23, 2018 | Apr 02, 2018 |
| $0.0900 M | Regular | Nov 14, 2017 | Feb 15, 2018 | Feb 16, 2018 | Mar 01, 2018 |
| $0.0900 M | Regular | Nov 14, 2017 | Jan 18, 2018 | Jan 19, 2018 | Feb 01, 2018 |
| $0.0900 M | Regular | Nov 14, 2017 | Dec 21, 2017 | Dec 22, 2017 | Dec 29, 2017 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 15, 2017 | Nov 22, 2017 | Nov 24, 2017 | Dec 01, 2017 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 15, 2017 | Oct 19, 2017 | Oct 20, 2017 | Nov 01, 2017 |
| $0.0950 M | Regular | Aug 15, 2017 | Sep 21, 2017 | Sep 22, 2017 | Oct 02, 2017 |
| $0.1000 M | Regular | May 18, 2017 | Aug 23, 2017 | Aug 25, 2017 | Sep 01, 2017 |
| $0.1000 M | Regular | May 18, 2017 | Jul 19, 2017 | Jul 21, 2017 | Aug 01, 2017 |
| $0.1000 M | Regular | May 18, 2017 | Jun 21, 2017 | Jun 23, 2017 | Jul 03, 2017 |
| $0.1005 M | Regular | Feb 16, 2017 | May 17, 2017 | May 19, 2017 | Jun 01, 2017 |
| $0.1005 M | Regular | Feb 16, 2017 | Apr 19, 2017 | Apr 21, 2017 | May 01, 2017 |
| $0.1005 M | Regular | Feb 16, 2017 | Mar 22, 2017 | Mar 24, 2017 | Apr 03, 2017 |
| $0.1025 M | Regular | Nov 15, 2016 | Feb 15, 2017 | Feb 17, 2017 | Feb 24, 2017 |
| $0.1025 M | Regular | Nov 15, 2016 | Jan 18, 2017 | Jan 20, 2017 | Jan 27, 2017 |
| $0.1025 M | Regular | Nov 15, 2016 | Dec 21, 2016 | Dec 23, 2016 | Dec 30, 2016 |
Peer Comparison
Selected closed-end fund distribution payers we cover, strongest DividendRank first — for context, not a recommendation.
| Ticker | Name | Yield | 5-Yr Growth | Streak | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENI-UN.TO | Energy Income Fund | 5.02% | 0.0% | 0 yrs | 88 |
| SOR | Source Capital, Inc. | 5.42% | 8.8% | 0 yrs | 87 |
| MXF | The Mexico Fund, Inc. | 6.57% | 16.9% | 4 yrs | 85 |
| FCR-UN.TO | First Capital Real Estate Investment Trust | 4.03% | 0.6% | 1 yr | 84 |
Related Guides & Lists
HYI dividend — frequently asked questions
Does Western Asset High Yield Defined Opportunity Fund Inc. pay a dividend?
Yes. Western Asset High Yield Defined Opportunity Fund Inc. (HYI) currently pays a dividend. The annualized dividend is about $1.14 per share, a yield of approximately 11.18%.
What is Western Asset High Yield Defined Opportunity Fund Inc.'s dividend yield?
Western Asset High Yield Defined Opportunity Fund Inc.'s dividend yield is approximately 11.18%, based on the most recent regular payment annualized against the current share price. Yields move as the share price changes.
How often does Western Asset High Yield Defined Opportunity Fund Inc. pay dividends?
Western Asset High Yield Defined Opportunity Fund Inc. pays dividends monthly — 12 times per year.
When is Western Asset High Yield Defined Opportunity Fund Inc.'s next ex-dividend date?
The next declared ex-dividend date for Western Asset High Yield Defined Opportunity Fund Inc. is September 23, 2026. The associated payment is $0.0950 per share; you must own the shares before the ex-dividend date to receive it.
How long has Western Asset High Yield Defined Opportunity Fund Inc. paid dividends?
Western Asset High Yield Defined Opportunity Fund Inc. has 15 years of dividend payments on record.
Data updated Sep 14, 2026. This research page is generated from Dividendly's structured market and dividend dataset using the approach described on our methodology and data sources pages. Data is automatically validated using defined rules and may also be periodically reviewed. Research only, not investment advice. Spotted a data error? Report it.