John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 540.8% in September

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 25,696 shares, an increase of 540.8% from the September 15th total of 4,010 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 23,980 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.1 days.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Stock Up 2.0%

NYSE HEQ traded up $0.22 during trading on Friday, reaching $11.30. 50,080 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 37,659. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $11.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.43. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a 1-year low of $10.46 and a 1-year high of $12.00.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th.

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bulldog Investors LLP grew its position in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 46.2% in the first quarter. Bulldog Investors LLP now owns 558,291 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $6,063,000 after acquiring an additional 176,527 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 4.1% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 304,521 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $3,307,000 after acquiring an additional 11,907 shares during the period. 1607 Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. 1607 Capital Partners LLC now owns 129,782 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,395,000 after acquiring an additional 7,442 shares during the period. Advisory Solutions Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund in the 2nd quarter valued at $119,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund in the 1st quarter valued at $109,000.

About John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE: HEQ) is a closed-end investment company managed by John Hancock Investment Management. The fund seeks to provide a high level of current income and long-term capital appreciation by investing in a diversified portfolio of equity and income-producing securities.

The fund uses hedging strategies in an effort to manage equity-market risk and may employ options and other derivative instruments as part of its investment approach. Its portfolio may include common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities, corporate bonds and other debt instruments, with allocations adjusted according to market conditions and the portfolio managers’ outlook.

HEQ is designed for investors seeking exposure to both equity and fixed-income markets through a professionally managed portfolio.