John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II (NYSE:HPF) Short Interest Update

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II (NYSE:HPF) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 14,700 shares, a decline of 39.8% from the January 15th total of 24,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 43,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 141,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,639,000 after acquiring an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II in the third quarter worth $69,000. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 43,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $723,000 after purchasing an additional 4,290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 155,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,569,000 after purchasing an additional 10,847 shares during the period.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Stock Performance

HPF stock opened at $17.40 on Friday. John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II has a 52 week low of $15.39 and a 52 week high of $19.00. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.28.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.1235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 13th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.52%.

About John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II

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.