Short Interest in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (NASDAQ:QABA) Drops By 23.6%

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (NASDAQ:QABA) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 24,235 shares, a drop of 23.6% from the December 31st total of 31,713 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 9,728 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 9,728 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QABA. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund by 5.8% in the second quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 6,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the period. WMG Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. WMG Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund by 86.3% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 11,552 shares of the company’s stock worth $626,000 after purchasing an additional 5,352 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,176,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $364,000.

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund Stock Performance

QABA stock traded up $0.69 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $62.18. The company had a trading volume of 5,519 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,924. First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund has a 12 month low of $45.06 and a 12 month high of $62.22. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $58.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.70. The firm has a market cap of $80.83 million, a PE ratio of 13.59 and a beta of 0.81.

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were issued a dividend of $0.4886 per share. This represents a $1.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This is a positive change from First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35.

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.