John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) Short Interest Down 7.4% in January

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 32,500 shares, a drop of 7.4% from the January 15th total of 35,100 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 48,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Stock Performance

BTO stock opened at $37.49 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.99. 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.94%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,628 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $701,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company increased its position in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company now owns 12,691 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $421,000 after buying an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 18,486 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $660,000 after buying an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. FCA Corp TX raised its stake in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. FCA Corp TX now owns 94,630 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,377,000 after buying an additional 638 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE bought a new position in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.55% of the company’s stock.

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.