Short Interest in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (NASDAQ:QABA) Declines By 31.9%

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (NASDAQ:QABA) saw a large drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 26,200 shares, a drop of 31.9% from the February 28th total of 38,500 shares. Currently, 1.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 53,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.5 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QABA. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund by 290.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 660 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Simplicity Wealth LLC bought a new position in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund in the 4th quarter worth approximately $225,000. Blueprint Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Finally, Mach 1 Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund during the 4th quarter valued at $229,000.

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:QABA traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $52.28. The company had a trading volume of 113,331 shares, compared to its average volume of 61,196. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $55.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.07. First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund has a one year low of $42.52 and a one year high of $64.30. The firm has a market cap of $115.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 0.92.

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be given a dividend of $0.3069 per share. This represents a $1.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 27th. This is a boost from First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28.

About First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund

The First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (QABA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NASDAQ OMX ABA Community Bank index. The fund tracks an index of NASDAQ-listed banks and thrifts, excluding the 50 largest. QABA was launched on Jun 29, 2009 and is managed by First Trust.