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

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 27,885 shares, a growth of 35.1% from the March 15th total of 20,639 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 46,006 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.6 days.

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the 3rd quarter valued at $283,000. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 24.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 43,140 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $449,000 after buying an additional 8,558 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 43,983 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $473,000 after acquiring an additional 11,284 shares in the last quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 130.9% in the fourth quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 53,236 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $543,000 after acquiring an additional 30,176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 65,693 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $700,000 after acquiring an additional 8,287 shares during the last quarter.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of HEQ stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $11.40. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 13,371 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,394. The business has a fifty day moving average of $11.12 and a 200-day moving average of $10.92. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a twelve month low of $9.73 and a twelve month high of $11.58.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.8%.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Company Profile

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.