John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 13,200 shares, a growth of 247.4% from the November 15th total of 3,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 22,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.6 days.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Price Performance

HEQ stock traded down $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $10.55. The company had a trading volume of 23,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,247. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $10.89 and a 200 day moving average of $10.66. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a 12 month low of $9.57 and a 12 month high of $11.12.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.48%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 1.7% during the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 138,969 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,444,000 after purchasing an additional 2,358 shares in the last quarter. Logan Stone Capital LLC boosted its position in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. Logan Stone Capital LLC now owns 68,435 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $711,000 after acquiring an additional 5,335 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 9.1% in the 2nd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48,914 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $508,000 after acquiring an additional 4,078 shares during the period. Finally, Kovack Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 23.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 13,227 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $145,000 after acquiring an additional 2,471 shares in the last quarter.

About John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by John Hancock Investment Management LLC. The fund is co-managed by Wellington Management Company LLP. It invests in the public equity markets of the United States. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.