John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Short Interest Up 33.3% in August

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 14,400 shares, a growth of 33.3% from the August 15th total of 10,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 29,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.5 days.

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HEQ. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 136,611 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,433,000 after acquiring an additional 1,468 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its position in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 47,409 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $476,000 after buying an additional 2,573 shares in the last quarter. Logan Stone Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 8.5% during the second 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 during the last quarter. Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd acquired a new position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the fourth quarter worth $133,000. Finally, 1607 Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 93.1% during the fourth quarter. 1607 Capital Partners LLC now owns 61,666 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $620,000 after buying an additional 29,730 shares in the last quarter.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Stock Performance

Shares of HEQ traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $10.73. The stock had a trading volume of 14,298 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,683. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.36. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a one year low of $9.08 and a one year high of $10.97.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.32%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th.

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.