Short Interest in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Grows By 30.3%

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 24,100 shares, a growth of 30.3% from the December 15th total of 18,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 31,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.8 days.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Trading Up 1.0 %

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund stock traded up $0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $10.49. 33,944 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 28,513. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.67. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a fifty-two week low of $9.57 and a fifty-two week high of $11.12.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.53%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 12th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 23.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 13,227 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $145,000 after buying an additional 2,471 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 9.1% in the 2nd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48,914 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 4,078 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Logan Stone Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. Logan Stone Capital LLC now owns 68,435 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $711,000 after buying an additional 5,335 shares in the last quarter.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Company Profile

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by John Hancock Investment Management LLC. The fund is co-managed by Wellington Management Company LLP. It invests in the public equity markets of the United States. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.