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

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the recipient of a large 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 volume of 31,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.8 days.

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

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HEQ. Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its stake 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 worth $145,000 after buying an additional 2,471 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 9.1% in the second quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48,914 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $508,000 after acquiring an additional 4,078 shares during the period. Finally, Logan Stone Capital LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 5,335 shares in the last quarter.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Price Performance

NYSE HEQ traded up $0.10 on Friday, hitting $10.49. 33,944 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 28,513. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $10.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.67. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a 52-week low of $9.57 and a 52-week high of $11.12.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Dividend Announcement

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

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.