First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF (NASDAQ:FTXR) Short Interest Up 26.3% in March

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF (NASDAQ:FTXR) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,400 shares, a growth of 26.3% from the February 28th total of 1,900 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 5,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.4 days.

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF Stock Performance

FTXR stock traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $29.78. 960 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,400. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $32.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.67. The stock has a market cap of $28.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.12 and a beta of 1.37. First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF has a fifty-two week low of $28.05 and a fifty-two week high of $37.32.

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 27th were paid a dividend of $0.1173 per share. This represents a $0.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 27th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF during the fourth quarter worth about $203,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 16,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $551,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF by 38.2% in the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 22,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $786,000 after buying an additional 6,327 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new stake in First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,047,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its position in First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF by 21.2% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 49,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after buying an additional 8,721 shares in the last quarter.

About First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF

The First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF (FTXR) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Nasdaq US Smart Transportation index. The fund tracks an index composed of 30 US transportation companies. Holdings are selected by liquidity and weighted based on volatility, value and growth factors. FTXR was launched on Sep 20, 2016 and is managed by First Trust.