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 significant drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 29,300 shares, a drop of 49.1% from the January 31st total of 57,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 119,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.2 days.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Price Performance

PDT stock traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $12.99. The stock had a trading volume of 174,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 105,656. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.93. John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund has a twelve month low of $10.65 and a twelve month high of $13.55.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 1,225.2% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 550,563 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $7,278,000 after buying an additional 509,016 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 484.0% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 271,560 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,460,000 after purchasing an additional 225,060 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 71.1% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 402,034 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,122,000 after purchasing an additional 167,125 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 628,792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,011,000 after purchasing an additional 150,909 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cohen & Steers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 773,593 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $9,856,000 after purchasing an additional 145,500 shares in the last quarter. 12.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund

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.