John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Short Interest Update

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 7,400 shares, a decline of 56.0% from the February 13th total of 16,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 34,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HEQ. Kovack Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 23.0% during the third 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. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 17,357 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $177,000 after buying an additional 1,982 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the fourth quarter worth about $224,000. Robinson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the fourth quarter worth about $309,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the fourth quarter worth about $318,000.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund stock opened at $10.31 on Friday. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a 52-week low of $9.57 and a 52-week high of $11.12. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $10.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.68.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.70%.

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.