John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE:PDT) Short Interest Down 49.1% in February

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE:PDT) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 29,300 shares, a decline of 49.1% from the January 31st total of 57,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 119,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.2 days.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE PDT traded up $0.02 during trading on Monday, hitting $12.99. The stock had a trading volume of 174,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 105,656. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $12.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.93. John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund has a 12 month low of $10.65 and a 12 month high of $13.55.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 13th were paid a $0.0825 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 13th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. lifted its stake in John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 57,932 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $738,000 after acquiring an additional 983 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 112.3% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,017 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 222,209 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,831,000 after acquiring an additional 1,428 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Arlington Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,426 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $184,000 after acquiring an additional 1,906 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 42,512 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $542,000 after acquiring an additional 2,903 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 12.98% of the company’s stock.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Company Profile

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund is a closed ended equity 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 public equity markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors, with an emphasis on the utilities sector.