Western Asset Premier Bond Fund filings document shareholder governance for a NYSE-listed closed-end bond fund. The fund's Schedule 14A proxy materials address annual meeting matters, including the election of the Board of Trustees, record-date mechanics and shareholder voting procedures.
The filings identify the fund as Western Asset Premier Bond Fund and reference its WEA ticker. For this issuer type, the regulatory record centers on proxy governance, trustee oversight, shareholder meeting procedures and the capital structure of exchange-traded common shares.
Western Asset Premier Bond Fund (WEA) is the issuer named in an amended beneficial-ownership report by Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. As of September 30, 2026, each reported beneficial ownership of 2,250,939 shares, equal to 19.0% of the class, with shared dispositive power over those shares and zero sole or shared voting power.
Morgan Stanley said the report covers certain operating units and excludes securities, if any, held by units whose ownership is disaggregated from the reporting units.
Western Asset Premier Bond Fund (WEA) is the issuer for which investment advisers Sit Investment Associates, Inc. and its subsidiary Sit Fixed Income Advisors II, LLC reported shared voting and dispositive power over 1,265,260 common shares, equal to 10.7% of the class.
Both advisers provide investment management services to client accounts and state that the reported shares are owned by those accounts. They say they may be deemed beneficial owners because of their shared powers, but disclaim beneficial ownership. The reported percentage is based on 11,865,600 common shares outstanding as of June 30, 2026.
Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC filed Amendment No. 6 to a Schedule 13G/A reporting beneficial ownership of 2,106,991 shares of Common Shares of Beneficial Interest of Western Asset Premier Bond Fund, representing 17.8% of the class as of 03/31/2026.
The filing lists the reporting entities and CUSIP 957664105, states ownership and voting power fields (shared dispositive power shown), and includes the MS Reporting Units qualifier per Release No. 34-39538. Signatures are dated 05/12/2026.
Western Asset Premier Bond Fund is asking shareholders to re-elect ten trustees at its annual meeting on May 21, 2026, in New York. Shareholders of record as of March 27, 2026, when 11,865,600 common shares were outstanding, are entitled to vote, with a 30% quorum requirement.
The board recommends voting for all nominees, including Chairperson William E.B. Siart and President and CEO Jane E. Trust. The proxy describes control share provisions that can limit voting rights above specified ownership thresholds unless other shareholders approve restoring them.
The filing outlines an independent board structure with four standing committees—Audit, Governance and Nominating, Contracts, and Investment and Performance. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is the independent auditor, billing $70,866 in audit fees and $10,000 in tax fees for 2025. Major holders include Morgan Stanley-related entities with 15.6% of shares and Sit Investment Associates affiliates with 5.6%.
WESTERN ASSET PREMIER BOND FUND insider Stout Kim filed a Form 3 related to the fund’s shares. The filing lists Kim as "CCO/Inv Mgr" and shows no reported purchases, sales, exercises, gifts, tax withholdings, or restructurings in the summary of transactions.
Western Asset Premier Bond Fund (WEA) reported its annual shareholder report for the year ended December 31, 2025. The Fund returned 10.89% based on NAV ($11.49) and 10.52% based on market price ($11.03) for the twelve months. The Fund paid distributions totaling $0.84 per share, of which $0.08 is reported as a return of capital.
The portfolio remained focused on fixed income with an average effective duration target of 3.5 to 7 years, tactical higher duration positioning, and active allocations toward energy and select high‑yield subsectors. Leverage was managed downward to about 32% of total assets and a loan outstanding of $59,000,000; total net assets were $136.3M as of December 31, 2025. The report also discloses a named portfolio management team change effective August 19, 2025.
First Trust Portfolios L.P., First Trust Advisors L.P., and The Charger Corporation filed an amended Schedule 13G reporting beneficial ownership of 507,542 shares of Western Asset Premier Bond Fund (WEA), equal to 4.28% of the class as of 09/30/2025.
The filers report no voting power over these shares and shared dispositive power over 507,542 shares. The filing states the securities were acquired and are held in the ordinary course and not to change or influence control. Shares are held primarily in unit investment trusts sponsored by First Trust; the trustee votes those shares, and no individual UIT holds more than 3% of any registered investment company issuer’s shares.
Western Asset Premier Bond Fund director of the investment manager, Jeffrey Masom, filed an initial insider ownership report on Form 3. The filing states that no securities of Western Asset Premier Bond Fund are beneficially owned, and both the non-derivative and derivative ownership tables show no holdings. The report is filed as a single reporting person and characterizes his relationship to the issuer as "Director - Inv. Mgr."
Morgan Stanley and subsidiary Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC have filed Amendment No. 5 to Schedule 13G on Western Asset Premier Bond Fund (NYSE: WEA). The event date is 30 June 2025 with the filing signed 7 Aug 2025.
- Beneficial ownership: 1,855,693 common shares, representing 15.6 % of WEA’s outstanding shares.
- Voting power: Sole voting power 0, shared voting power 2.
- Dispositive power: Sole 0, shared 1,855,693.
- Filers: Morgan Stanley (classified HC, CO) and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (BD, IA, CO); both organized in Delaware and headquartered at 1585 Broadway, New York.
- Filing basis: Rule 13d-1(b) indicates passive, non-control intent.
The filing shows that Morgan Stanley’s brokerage/investment-advisory unit continues to aggregate >5 % of WEA on behalf of clients while largely disaggregating voting authority. No transaction details, purchase prices, or change-of-control intentions are disclosed.