John Hancock Investors Trust (NYSE:JHI) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

John Hancock Investors Trust (NYSE:JHI) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totaling 31,934 shares, an increase of 181.8% from the September 30th total of 11,332 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 32,606 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days.

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Investors Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of John Hancock Investors Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $146,000. Shaker Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of John Hancock Investors Trust by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 148,070 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,829,000 after purchasing an additional 16,798 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of John Hancock Investors Trust in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in John Hancock Investors Trust by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 33,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $433,000 after buying an additional 863 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in John Hancock Investors Trust during the first quarter worth about $299,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.01% of the company’s stock.

John Hancock Investors Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JHI traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $11.94. The stock had a trading volume of 36,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,038. John Hancock Investors Trust has a 12-month low of $11.73 and a 12-month high of $14.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $12.45 and a 200-day moving average of $13.16.

John Hancock Investors Trust Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th were given a $0.2940 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. This is a negative change from John Hancock Investors Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2970. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.8%.

John Hancock Investors Trust Company Profile

John Hancock Investors Trust (NYSE: JHI) was a closed-end investment company designed to provide investors with exposure to a professionally managed portfolio of income-producing securities. The fund primarily focused on fixed-income investments and sought to generate current income while also pursuing long-term capital appreciation.

The trust invested in a diversified selection of debt securities, which could include corporate bonds, government and agency obligations, mortgage-related securities, and other income-oriented instruments.