Short Interest in First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:FTLS) Increases By 167.2%

First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:FTLS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 237,590 shares, an increase of 167.2% from the August 15th total of 88,908 shares. Currently, 0.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 125,838 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days.

First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF stock opened at $76.56 on Friday. First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF has a 12 month low of $67.94 and a 12 month high of $77.52. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $75.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.52 billion, a PE ratio of 21.59 and a beta of 0.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,252,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,876,000 after buying an additional 78,397 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,606,322 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,381,000 after buying an additional 57,245 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,417,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $160,161,000 after purchasing an additional 231,155 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 2,397,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,200,000 after buying an additional 149,648 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF by 45.2% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 673,403 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,633,000 after purchasing an additional 209,579 shares during the last quarter.

About First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF

The First Trust Long\u002FShort Equity ETF (FTLS) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in long\u002Fshort alternatives. The fund takes both long and short position in US-listed equity with US and foreign exposure. The actively managed funds will typically be 90-100% long and 0-50% short. FTLS was launched on Sep 9, 2014 and is managed by First Trust.