First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund (NYSEARCA:FRI) Short Interest Update

First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund (NYSEARCA:FRI) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 3,706 shares, a decline of 60.2% from the February 26th total of 9,319 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 26,454 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FRI. Arax Advisory Partners purchased a new stake in shares of First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new position in First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund during the 4th quarter worth approximately $72,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund during the 2nd quarter valued at $133,000. Finally, Comerica Bank raised its stake in First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund by 400.5% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 6,011 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 4,810 shares during the period.

First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund Stock Down 0.7%

NYSEARCA:FRI opened at $27.95 on Friday. First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund has a 1-year low of $23.15 and a 1-year high of $30.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $156.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.23 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.24.

First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 26th will be issued a $0.0928 dividend. This represents a $0.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 26th.

First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund Company Profile

First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the S&P United States REIT Index (the Index). The Index measures the securitized United States real estate investment trust (REIT) market and maintains a constituency that reflects the composition of the overall REIT market. The Index contains securities selected for market representation according to geography and property type. All securities in the Index satisfy the Index’s liquidity, price and market capitalization requirements.