John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Short Interest Down 56.0% in February

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 7,400 shares, a decline of 56.0% from the February 13th total of 16,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 34,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.2 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kovack Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 14,859 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $152,000 after acquiring an additional 1,632 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 17,357 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 1,982 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 82,710 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $844,000 after buying an additional 8,088 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 254,824 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $2,602,000 after buying an additional 16,414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 13.8% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 149,241 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,524,000 after buying an additional 18,066 shares in the last quarter.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HEQ opened at $10.51 on Thursday. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a 12-month low of $9.57 and a 12-month high of $11.12. The business has a 50 day moving average of $10.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.69.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.51%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th.

About John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by John Hancock Investment Management LLC. The fund is co-managed by Wellington Management Company LLP. It invests in the public equity markets of the United States. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.