John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 24,600 shares, an increase of 176.4% from the October 31st total of 8,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 46,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.5 days.

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Advisors LLC boosted its position in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 132.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC now owns 226,737 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,519,000 after acquiring an additional 129,371 shares in the last quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel boosted its stake in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 0.5% in the second quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 89,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,501,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 worth $1,825,000 after purchasing an additional 58,692 shares in the last quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 46.1% during the 3rd quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 59,654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,978,000 after purchasing an additional 18,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR grew its stake in 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 worth $1,484,000 after buying an additional 33,233 shares during the last quarter. 19.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Price Performance

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund stock opened at $39.27 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $34.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.76. John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund has a 1 year low of $26.11 and a 1 year high of $39.87.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.62%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th.

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.