Short Interest in First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund (NYSEARCA:FRI) Expands By 730.7%

First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund (NYSEARCA:FRI) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 17,062 shares, an increase of 730.7% from the June 15th total of 2,054 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 21,485 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.8 days. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Maia Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 25,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $742,000 after buying an additional 3,221 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Investment Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund by 3.0% in the third quarter. Harvest Investment Services LLC now owns 14,666 shares of the company’s stock valued at $412,000 after buying an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in shares of First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund by 35.4% during the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 12,125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 3,173 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund during the 4th quarter valued at $261,000. Finally, Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund during the 3rd quarter worth $217,000.

First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSEARCA:FRI opened at $32.03 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $31.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $184.15 million, a P/E ratio of 35.23 and a beta of 0.95. First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund has a 52 week low of $26.50 and a 52 week high of $32.46.

About First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund

First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the S&P United States REIT Index (the Index). The Index measures the securitized United States real estate investment trust (REIT) market and maintains a constituency that reflects the composition of the overall REIT market. The Index contains securities selected for market representation according to geography and property type. All securities in the Index satisfy the Index’s liquidity, price and market capitalization requirements.