John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) Short Interest Update

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE:HEQ) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 27,885 shares, an increase of 35.1% from the March 15th total of 20,639 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 46,006 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 24.7% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 43,140 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $449,000 after buying an additional 8,558 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 42.0% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 82,618 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $874,000 after acquiring an additional 24,431 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 11.7% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 288,281 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $3,050,000 after acquiring an additional 30,102 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund during the second quarter worth about $168,000. Finally, Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund by 46.1% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 79,920 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $851,000 after purchasing an additional 25,226 shares in the last quarter.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of HEQ stock traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $11.37. The company had a trading volume of 11,332 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,346. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.92. John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund has a 52-week low of $9.73 and a 52-week high of $11.58.

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.8%.

About John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

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.