John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 17,000 shares, a growth of 136.1% from the January 15th total of 7,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 35,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.5 days.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Stock Down 0.0 %

HEQ stock opened at $10.63 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $10.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.68. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a twelve month low of $9.57 and a twelve month high of $11.12.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.41%.

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

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the 4th quarter valued at about $224,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 82,710 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $844,000 after buying an additional 8,088 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 131,821 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,346,000 after buying an additional 18,392 shares in the last quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC increased its stake in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 39.8% in the 4th quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 249,606 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $2,548,000 after acquiring an additional 70,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1607 Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 38.0% during the 4th quarter. 1607 Capital Partners LLC now owns 100,502 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $1,026,000 after acquiring an additional 27,695 shares in the last quarter.

About John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

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.