Short Interest in First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:FTLS) Expands By 75.1%

First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:FTLS) saw a significant growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 142,321 shares, a growth of 75.1% from the June 30th total of 81,280 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 112,794 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days. Approximately 0.4% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Trading of First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FTLS. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF by 1,462.5% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC raised its holdings in shares of First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF during the 1st quarter valued at about $75,000. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its position in First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF by 801.8% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 1,307 shares in the last quarter.

First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of FTLS stock traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $74.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 111,264 shares, compared to its average volume of 114,015. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.46 billion, a PE ratio of 21.59 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.60. First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF has a 12-month low of $65.84 and a 12-month high of $77.52.

About First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF

The First Trust Long\u002FShort Equity ETF (FTLS) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in long\u002Fshort alternatives. The fund takes both long and short position in US-listed equity with US and foreign exposure. The actively managed funds will typically be 90-100% long and 0-50% short. FTLS was launched on Sep 9, 2014 and is managed by First Trust.