John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II (NYSE:HPF) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II (NYSE:HPF) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 41,100 shares, an increase of 33.9% from the March 15th total of 30,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 40,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Price Performance

NYSE HPF opened at $15.40 on Monday. John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II has a 1 year low of $14.56 and a 1 year high of $19.00. The business’s 50-day moving average is $16.46 and its 200 day moving average is $17.00.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a $0.1235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HPF. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 5.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors now owns 20,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 31,305 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,390 shares in the last quarter. MSH Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II during the fourth quarter valued at about $205,000. Finally, Cohen & Steers Inc. bought a new position in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II in the fourth quarter worth about $575,000.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Company Profile

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II is a closed ended fixed income 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 fixed income markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in securities of companies operating across diversified sectors.