John Hancock Investors Trust (NYSE:JHI) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

John Hancock Investors Trust (NYSE:JHI) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 11,332 shares, a growth of 239.7% from the September 15th total of 3,336 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 23,901 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.5 days.

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Investors Trust

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of JHI. IFP Advisors Inc bought a new stake in John Hancock Investors Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. World Investment Advisors acquired a new position in John Hancock Investors Trust during the 1st quarter valued at about $299,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in John Hancock Investors Trust by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 33,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $433,000 after purchasing an additional 863 shares during the last quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC grew its position in John Hancock Investors Trust by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC now owns 47,763 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $617,000 after purchasing an additional 1,855 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sit Investment Associates Inc. grew its position in John Hancock Investors Trust by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. now owns 597,048 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,162,000 after purchasing an additional 64,495 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.01% of the company’s stock.

John Hancock Investors Trust Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE JHI traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $12.04. The company had a trading volume of 35,217 shares, compared to its average volume of 25,554. John Hancock Investors Trust has a 12 month low of $11.93 and a 12 month high of $14.26. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.10.

John Hancock Investors Trust Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a dividend of $0.2940 per share. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.8%. This is a negative change from John Hancock Investors Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2970. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th.

About John Hancock Investors Trust

John Hancock Investors Trust (NYSE:JHI) is a publicly traded closed-end investment company. The fund seeks long-term growth of capital by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of equity securities, including common stocks of companies across a range of industries.

The trust is managed by John Hancock Investment Management, an asset-management organization affiliated with Manulife Investment Management. Its portfolio is professionally selected and managed, with investment decisions based on research and analysis of individual companies and broader market conditions.

As a closed-end fund, John Hancock Investors Trust issues a fixed number of shares that trade on the New York Stock Exchange.