John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) Short Interest Update

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,838 shares, an increase of 305.3% from the August 31st total of 947 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 33,873 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE BTO traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $36.60. The company had a trading volume of 35,674 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,736. John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund has a one year low of $32.01 and a one year high of $42.00. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.87.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BTO. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 60.6% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 26,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $918,000 after acquiring an additional 9,875 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 3.3% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 267,804 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,606,000 after purchasing an additional 8,443 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new stake in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund in the 1st quarter valued at $206,000. FCA Corp TX boosted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. FCA Corp TX now owns 88,984 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,192,000 after purchasing an additional 2,064 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 18.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,415 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315 shares during the last quarter. 19.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Company Profile

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund is a closed-end investment company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BTO. The fund is designed to provide investors with exposure to the financial services sector through a professionally managed portfolio of securities.

The fund invests primarily in the equity securities of companies involved in banking, insurance, diversified financial services, capital markets, consumer finance, real estate finance and related activities.