Short Interest in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II (NYSE:HPF) Expands By 74.4%

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II (NYSE:HPF) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 30,700 shares, a growth of 74.4% from the February 28th total of 17,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 41,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:HPF traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $16.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 32,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 42,014. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $16.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.28. John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II has a 52 week low of $15.39 and a 52 week high of $19.00.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.1235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 31,305 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position 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. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 10.9% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 36.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,390 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 58.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors now owns 19,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 7,000 shares during the last quarter.

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.