Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund, Inc. (NYSE:JOF) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund, Inc. (NYSE:JOF) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 6,000 shares, an increase of 53.8% from the November 15th total of 3,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 76,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of JOF stock traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $8.00. The company had a trading volume of 52,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 59,723. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $7.78. Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund has a 12 month low of $6.89 and a 12 month high of $8.34.

Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.3118 per share. This represents a yield of 3.3%. This is an increase from Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund’s previous annual dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 19th.

Institutional Trading of Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JOF. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund in the third quarter valued at about $104,000. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. grew its position in shares of Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 16,119 shares of the company’s stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 3,075 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 22,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 1,609 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $259,000.

Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund Company Profile

Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund, Inc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched by Nomura Asset Management U.SA Inc It is managed by Nomura Asset Management Co, Ltd. The fund invests in the public equity markets of Japan. It invests in stocks traded on the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya Stock Exchanges, JASDAQ, Mothers, Hercules, Centrex, and other indices.