First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (NASDAQ:QABA) Short Interest Down 31.9% in March

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (NASDAQ:QABA) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 26,200 shares, a decrease of 31.9% from the February 28th total of 38,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 53,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.5 days. Approximately 1.2% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QABA. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund by 178.2% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 109,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,099,000 after purchasing an additional 70,324 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund by 79.2% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 151,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,398,000 after buying an additional 66,817 shares during the period. Susquehanna International Group LLP acquired a new position in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,012,000. Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new position in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund during the fourth quarter worth about $1,686,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund during the third quarter valued at about $1,099,000.

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund Trading Up 0.3 %

QABA stock traded up $0.17 during trading on Monday, reaching $52.28. 113,331 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 61,196. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $55.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $56.07. First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund has a 1 year low of $42.52 and a 1 year high of $64.30.

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be given a dividend of $0.3069 per share. This represents a $1.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 27th. This is a positive change from First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28.

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund Company Profile

The First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (QABA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NASDAQ OMX ABA Community Bank index. The fund tracks an index of NASDAQ-listed banks and thrifts, excluding the 50 largest. QABA was launched on Jun 29, 2009 and is managed by First Trust.