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

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totaling 9,354 shares, an increase of 17,549.1% from the April 30th total of 53 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 45,446 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.2 days.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE BTO traded down $0.29 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $36.63. The stock had a trading volume of 36,492 shares, compared to its average volume of 52,198. John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund has a fifty-two week low of $32.01 and a fifty-two week high of $39.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $36.15 and a 200-day moving average of $35.97.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.1%.

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BTO. Wolverine Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,671,000. Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,481,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 558,810 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,793,000 after purchasing an additional 28,231 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 667,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,405,000 after purchasing an additional 23,822 shares during the period. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund in the 3rd quarter valued at about $744,000. 19.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE: BTO) is a closed-end management investment company sponsored by John Hancock Investment Management, a division of Manulife Investment Management. Since its inception in August 2004, the fund has sought to deliver total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation. As a publicly traded fund, it offers investors access to a diversified portfolio of financial services companies that might otherwise require direct equity investments or specialized mandates.

The fund primarily invests in common stocks, preferred stocks and convertible securities issued by companies in the banking, insurance, brokerage and specialty finance sectors.