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

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

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 4.1% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 304,521 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $3,307,000 after purchasing an additional 11,907 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund in the 1st quarter worth about $109,000. Bulldog Investors LLP raised its stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 46.2% during the 1st quarter. Bulldog Investors LLP now owns 558,291 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $6,063,000 after purchasing an additional 176,527 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the 1st quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 119,455 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,284,000 after buying an additional 26,747 shares during the last quarter.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HEQ traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $11.54. The company had a trading volume of 23,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 44,444. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $11.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.26. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a 12-month low of $10.36 and a 12-month high of $11.92.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Dividend Announcement

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

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.