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

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 20,500 shares, a growth of 5.1% from the November 30th total of 19,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 43,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.5 days.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:BTO opened at $35.69 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $36.77 and a 200 day moving average of $33.28. John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund has a 12-month low of $26.11 and a 12-month high of $39.87.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.28%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 12th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cornerstone Advisors LLC increased its stake in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 132.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC now owns 226,737 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,519,000 after acquiring an additional 129,371 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 3,216.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 60,517 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,825,000 after purchasing an additional 58,692 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR raised its position in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 288.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 44,757 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,484,000 after buying an additional 33,233 shares in the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 39,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,097,000 after acquiring an additional 31,319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Shaker Financial Services LLC raised its position in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 92.5% during the second quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 40,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,144,000 after purchasing an additional 19,629 shares during the period. 19.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund

John Hancock Financial Opportunities 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 across the globe. It seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating across the financial services sector.