John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Short Interest Up 258.3% in August

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 10,574 shares, a growth of 258.3% from the August 15th total of 2,951 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 23,765 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.4 days.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Stock Performance

NYSE HEQ traded down $0.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $11.32. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 23,493 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,054. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $11.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.42. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a 12 month low of $10.46 and a 12 month high of $12.00.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th.

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

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HEQ. Bulldog Investors LLP boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 176,527 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake 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 worth $3,307,000 after purchasing an additional 11,907 shares during the last quarter. Saba Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Saba Capital Management L.P. now owns 281,328 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $3,024,000 after purchasing an additional 27,958 shares during the last quarter. 1607 Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 6.1% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 28.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 119,455 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,284,000 after purchasing an additional 26,747 shares during 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.