John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 20,500 shares, an increase of 5.1% from the November 30th total of 19,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 43,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.5 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BTO. L.M. Kohn & Company lifted its holdings in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 3.5% in the third quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company now owns 12,691 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $421,000 after acquiring an additional 425 shares during the period. Aurora Investment Counsel boosted its holdings in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 0.5% during the second quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 89,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,501,000 after buying an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its position in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 8.7% during the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE purchased a new position in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 13,978 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,015 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.55% of the company’s stock.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Price Performance

NYSE BTO opened at $35.32 on Friday. John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund has a 52-week low of $26.11 and a 52-week high of $39.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $36.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.29.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.36%.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Company Profile

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by John Hancock Investment Management LLC. It is co-managed by John Hancock Asset Management. The fund invests in the public equity markets across the globe. It seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating across the financial services sector.