John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE:PDT) Stock Short Interest Report for September

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE:PDT) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 69,679 shares, a growth of 55.6% from the September 15th total of 44,779 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 147,986 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.5 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 36.7% in the 3rd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 14,898 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $175,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund during the third quarter worth about $246,000. Arlington Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 7.2% during the second quarter. Arlington Capital Management Inc. now owns 21,440 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 1,441 shares in the last quarter. Saba Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund in the first quarter valued at about $380,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 30.7% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 69,349 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $908,000 after buying an additional 16,298 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 12.98% of the company’s stock.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Price Performance

Shares of PDT stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $11.90. The stock had a trading volume of 118,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 156,915. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $12.24 and its 200 day moving average is $12.70. John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund has a twelve month low of $11.56 and a twelve month high of $13.65.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be given a $0.0883 dividend. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Company Profile

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund is a publicly traded, diversified closed-end investment fund listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PDT. The fund seeks to provide a high level of current income while also pursuing long-term capital appreciation and preservation of capital.

The fund invests primarily in preferred securities and dividend-paying common stocks. Its portfolio has historically emphasized companies in the utilities and financial services sectors, although its holdings may change over time based on market conditions and the investment team’s assessment of income potential, credit quality and valuation.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund is managed by John Hancock Investment Management, the asset-management business associated with Manulife Investment Management.