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

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 10,574 shares, a growth of 258.3% from the August 15th total of 2,951 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 23,765 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.4 days.

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

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund in the 1st quarter valued at $47,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the 1st quarter worth about $109,000. Advisory Solutions Group LLC purchased a new stake in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the second quarter valued at about $119,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the fourth quarter valued at about $144,000. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund in the second quarter worth about $168,000.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HEQ traded down $0.31 during trading on Friday, hitting $11.32. The company had a trading volume of 23,493 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,054. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a 52 week low of $10.46 and a 52 week high of $12.00. The business’s 50-day moving average is $11.60 and its 200 day moving average is $11.42.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th.

About John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

The John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE: HEQ) is a closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide shareholders with a high level of income coupled with the potential for capital appreciation. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the fund is managed by John Hancock Investment Management, a subsidiary of Manulife Financial. The fund’s investment objective emphasizes total return, balancing dividend and option premium income with equity market participation.

The fund pursues its goal by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of U.S.