John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Short Interest Up 33.3% in August

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 14,400 shares, an increase of 33.3% from the August 15th total of 10,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 29,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.5 days.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Stock Performance

Shares of HEQ stock traded up $0.07 on Monday, reaching $10.72. The stock had a trading volume of 11,603 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,667. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a 1 year low of $9.08 and a 1 year high of $10.97. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.36.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.33%.

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

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 1.7% during the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 138,969 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,444,000 after buying an additional 2,358 shares during the period. Logan Stone Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 8.5% in the second quarter. Logan Stone Capital LLC now owns 68,435 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 5,335 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund in the first quarter valued at approximately $653,000. 1607 Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 93.1% in the fourth quarter. 1607 Capital Partners LLC now owns 61,666 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $620,000 after purchasing an additional 29,730 shares during the period. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 9.1% in the second quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48,914 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 4,078 shares during the period.

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.