Short Interest in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II (NYSE:HPF) Rises By 199.3%

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II (NYSE:HPF) saw a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 44,000 shares, an increase of 199.3% from the January 31st total of 14,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 44,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HPF. Axim Planning & Wealth raised its position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Axim Planning & Wealth now owns 420,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,833,000 after buying an additional 51,730 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 155,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,569,000 after purchasing an additional 10,847 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 141,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,639,000 after purchasing an additional 1,465 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 43,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $723,000 after purchasing an additional 4,290 shares during the period. Finally, Cohen & Steers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II during the 4th quarter worth about $575,000.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of HPF traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $17.11. The company had a trading volume of 29,392 shares, compared to its average volume of 43,333. John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II has a 1-year low of $15.39 and a 1-year high of $19.00. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.31.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.1235 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.66%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 13th.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Company Profile

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II is a closed ended fixed income 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 fixed income markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in securities of companies operating across diversified sectors.