Short Interest in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO) Grows By 197.1%

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE:BTO - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 20,500 shares, a growth of 197.1% from the February 28th total of 6,900 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 46,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.4 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mariner LLC raised its position in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 19,829 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $708,000 after buying an additional 1,614 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund in the fourth quarter valued at $18,745,000. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 66.8% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 185,773 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,630,000 after purchasing an additional 74,403 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 18,486 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $660,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 16,636 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares during the last quarter. 19.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:BTO traded up $0.18 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $34.11. The company had a trading volume of 71,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 46,587. John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund has a 1 year low of $26.11 and a 1 year high of $39.87. The company has a 50-day moving average of $35.59 and a 200 day moving average of $35.44.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.62%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th.

John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund Company Profile

John Hancock Financial Opportunities 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 across the globe. It seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating across the financial services sector.