First Trust Dividend Strength ETF (NASDAQ:FTDS) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

First Trust Dividend Strength ETF (NASDAQ:FTDS) saw a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 7,254 shares, a growth of 183.0% from the December 15th total of 2,563 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,540 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 2,540 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.9 days. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s stock are short sold.

First Trust Dividend Strength ETF Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of FTDS stock opened at $58.72 on Wednesday. First Trust Dividend Strength ETF has a 12 month low of $44.26 and a 12 month high of $59.28. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.23. The firm has a market cap of $29.36 million, a PE ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 0.96.

First Trust Dividend Strength ETF Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.2484 per share. This is a boost from First Trust Dividend Strength ETF’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%.

Institutional Trading of First Trust Dividend Strength ETF

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FTDS. Susquehanna International Group LLP raised its stake in shares of First Trust Dividend Strength ETF by 41.0% during the 3rd quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 13,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $735,000 after purchasing an additional 3,844 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in First Trust Dividend Strength ETF in the third quarter valued at $543,000. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of First Trust Dividend Strength ETF by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 1,541 shares during the period. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Trust Dividend Strength ETF by 40.7% during the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares during the last quarter.

First Trust Dividend Strength ETF Company Profile

The First Trust Dividend Strength ETF (FTDS) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the The Dividend Strength index. The fund tracks an index of approximately 50 US stocks or REITs considered to be well-capitalized and have a history of increasing their dividends. Holdings are selected based on fundamental criteria and equally-weighted within the portfolio. FTDS was launched on Dec 6, 2006 and is managed by First Trust.