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

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) saw a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 23,617 shares, an increase of 312.1% from the January 15th total of 5,731 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 70,677 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 70,677 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BTO traded up $0.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $38.51. 27,391 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 62,037. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $36.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.67. John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund has a 12-month low of $27.73 and a 12-month high of $39.85.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 11th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 11th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 3.7% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 49,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,726,000 after purchasing an additional 6,694 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 60.6% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 26,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $918,000 after purchasing an additional 9,875 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR increased its stake in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 14,105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 1,541 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.55% of the company’s stock.

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.