Short Interest in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Expands By 89.8%

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 2,473 shares, an increase of 89.8% from the February 12th total of 1,303 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 54,786 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 54,786 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.0 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bulldog Investors LLP acquired a new stake in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund in the fourth quarter valued at $4,104,000. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the 4th quarter worth $365,000. Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 130.9% in the 4th quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 53,236 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $543,000 after purchasing an additional 30,176 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 11.7% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 288,281 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $3,050,000 after purchasing an additional 30,102 shares during the period. Finally, Saba Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Saba Capital Management L.P. now owns 281,328 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $3,024,000 after purchasing an additional 27,958 shares during the period.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Stock Performance

NYSE HEQ traded down $0.28 on Thursday, hitting $10.91. 42,161 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 51,920. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $11.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.89. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a fifty-two week low of $9.23 and a fifty-two week high of $11.58.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.2%.

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.