John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Shares Break Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $11.37 and traded as high as $11.43. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund shares last traded at $11.4090, with a volume of 18,188 shares traded.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Trading Up 1.0%

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $11.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.37.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.8%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bulldog Investors LLP raised its stake in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 46.2% in the first quarter. Bulldog Investors LLP now owns 558,291 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $6,063,000 after buying an additional 176,527 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 4.1% in 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 buying an additional 11,907 shares during the last quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 111,631 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $1,245,000 after acquiring an additional 1,919 shares during the period. Advisory Solutions Group LLC bought a new position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $119,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the 1st quarter worth approximately $109,000.

About John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE: HEQ) is a closed-end investment fund managed by John Hancock Investment Management. The fund seeks to provide a high level of current income while also pursuing long-term capital appreciation.

To pursue its objectives, the fund invests in a diversified portfolio of equity securities and income-producing investments, including corporate and government debt, convertible securities and other fixed-income instruments. Its strategy may also use options and other hedging techniques to manage risk and generate income, although these approaches can limit some potential gains and introduce additional investment risks.

As a publicly traded closed-end fund, HEQ’s shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange, while the fund’s portfolio is managed for investors seeking exposure to a combination of equity-market participation and income-oriented investments.