John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Short Interest Down 40.3% in June

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 5,715 shares, a drop of 40.3% from the June 15th total of 9,579 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 38,347 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of HEQ traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $11.46. 32,843 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 44,410. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a 12 month low of $10.36 and a 12 month high of $11.92. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $11.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.27.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 11th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HEQ. Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 44,387 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 2,275 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 1607 Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. 1607 Capital Partners LLC now owns 129,782 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,395,000 after purchasing an additional 7,442 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 65,693 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $700,000 after purchasing an additional 8,287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 24.7% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 43,140 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 8,558 shares in the last quarter.

About John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

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.