John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE:PDT) Short Interest Update

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE:PDT) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 43,000 shares, a growth of 87.8% from the February 28th total of 22,900 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 118,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE PDT traded up $0.07 on Friday, reaching $12.99. 111,055 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 111,202. John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund has a fifty-two week low of $10.65 and a fifty-two week high of $13.55. The company has a 50 day moving average of $12.84 and a 200 day moving average of $12.92.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.0825 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.62%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 484.0% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 271,560 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,460,000 after buying an additional 225,060 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 71.1% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 402,034 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,122,000 after purchasing an additional 167,125 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 628,792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,011,000 after purchasing an additional 150,909 shares in the last quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 773,593 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $9,856,000 after purchasing an additional 145,500 shares during the period. Finally, Sovran Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,062,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 12.98% of the company’s stock.

About John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund is a closed ended equity 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 public equity markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors, with an emphasis on the utilities sector.