John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II (NYSE:HPF) Short Interest Up 10.1% in December

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II (NYSE:HPF) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 10,900 shares, a growth of 10.1% from the November 30th total of 9,900 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 37,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 1.0% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 141,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,639,000 after buying an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $69,000. Axim Planning & Wealth lifted its stake in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Axim Planning & Wealth now owns 420,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,833,000 after purchasing an additional 51,730 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 2,654.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 23,271 shares of the company’s stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 22,426 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Price Performance

Shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $16.55. 70,292 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 41,271. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $17.24 and a 200-day moving average of $17.32. John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II has a 12 month low of $15.39 and a 12 month high of $19.00.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were issued a $0.1235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.95%.

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.