John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) Short Interest Update

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totaling 53 shares, a decline of 99.7% from the April 15th total of 18,832 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 50,529 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.0 days.

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BTO. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,671,000. Readystate Asset Management LP bought a new stake in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund in the fourth quarter valued at $2,481,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 5.3% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 558,810 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,793,000 after acquiring an additional 28,231 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 667,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,405,000 after acquiring an additional 23,822 shares during the period. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new stake in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund in the third quarter valued at $744,000. 19.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Stock Performance

Shares of BTO traded down $0.62 on Monday, reaching $36.66. 63,323 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 45,093. John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund has a 12 month low of $32.01 and a 12 month high of $39.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $35.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $35.78.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.1%.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Company Profile

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE: BTO) is a closed-end management investment company sponsored by John Hancock Investment Management, a division of Manulife Investment Management. Since its inception in August 2004, the fund has sought to deliver total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation. As a publicly traded fund, it offers investors access to a diversified portfolio of financial services companies that might otherwise require direct equity investments or specialized mandates.

The fund primarily invests in common stocks, preferred stocks and convertible securities issued by companies in the banking, insurance, brokerage and specialty finance sectors.