John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE:PDT) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 55.6% in September

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE:PDT) saw a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 69,679 shares, a growth of 55.6% from the September 15th total of 44,779 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 147,986 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.5 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Stock Performance

NYSE PDT traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $11.91. The company had a trading volume of 70,580 shares, compared to its average volume of 129,590. The business has a 50 day moving average of $12.25 and a 200-day moving average of $12.71. John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund has a 1-year low of $11.56 and a 1-year high of $13.65.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a $0.0883 dividend. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th.

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in PDT. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its stake in John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 36.7% in the third quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 14,898 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $175,000 after buying an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund in the third quarter valued at approximately $246,000. Arlington Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 7.2% in the second quarter. Arlington Capital Management Inc. now owns 21,440 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 1,441 shares during the period. Saba Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund during the first quarter worth approximately $380,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 30.7% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 69,349 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $908,000 after acquiring an additional 16,298 shares during the last quarter. 12.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Company Profile

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund is a publicly traded, diversified closed-end investment fund listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PDT. The fund seeks to provide a high level of current income while also pursuing long-term capital appreciation and preservation of capital.

The fund invests primarily in preferred securities and dividend-paying common stocks. Its portfolio has historically emphasized companies in the utilities and financial services sectors, although its holdings may change over time based on market conditions and the investment team’s assessment of income potential, credit quality and valuation.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund is managed by John Hancock Investment Management, the asset-management business associated with Manulife Investment Management.