First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF (NASDAQ:FTXG) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF (NASDAQ:FTXG) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 17,675 shares, a decline of 19.0% from the November 30th total of 21,812 shares. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 14,237 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 14,237 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF Stock Performance

Shares of FTXG stock traded down $0.14 on Wednesday, reaching $20.94. The stock had a trading volume of 22,900 shares, compared to its average volume of 28,947. First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF has a 1 year low of $20.55 and a 1 year high of $24.66. The stock has a market cap of $17.80 million, a P/E ratio of 15.14 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.86.

First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.195 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. This is an increase from First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF during the second quarter valued at approximately $147,000. Citadel Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 35,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $756,000 after acquiring an additional 885 shares during the period. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP bought a new position in First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF in the 2nd quarter worth $916,000. UBS Group AG purchased a new position in First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF during the third quarter valued at $1,000,000. Finally, Journey Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF during the second quarter valued at about $2,587,000.

First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF Company Profile

The First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF (FTXG) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Nasdaq US Smart Food & Beverage index. The fund follows a liquidity-selected, multi-factor-weighted index of US food & beverage companies. FTXG was launched on Sep 20, 2016 and is managed by First Trust.