John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III (NYSE:HPS) Stock Short Interest Report for September

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III (NYSE:HPS) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,034 shares, a decline of 97.5% from the September 15th total of 40,637 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 166,226 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.0 days.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III Stock Up 1.0%

NYSE HPS traded up $0.12 on Friday, hitting $11.84. 137,264 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 68,898. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $13.30 and a 200-day moving average of $14.04. John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III has a 52 week low of $11.52 and a 52 week high of $15.58.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.2%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III during the second quarter valued at $38,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III by 17.9% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 20,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 3,157 shares in the last quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III in the 2nd quarter worth about $253,000. Compass Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III in the 2nd quarter valued at about $81,000. Finally, Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 14,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 2,260 shares in the last quarter.

About John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III is a publicly traded closed-end fund listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HPS. The fund is managed by John Hancock Investment Management, an asset-management business of Manulife Investment Management.

The fund’s primary objective is to provide a high level of current income. It invests mainly in preferred securities issued by companies in the financial, utility, telecommunications and other industries, while also investing in other income-producing securities when appropriate.