John Hancock Investors Trust (NYSE:JHI) Stock Short Interest Rises 239.7%

John Hancock Investors Trust (NYSE:JHI) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 11,332 shares, a growth of 239.7% from the September 15th total of 3,336 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 23,901 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.5 days.

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Investors Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFP Advisors Inc acquired a new position in John Hancock Investors Trust in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of John Hancock Investors Trust by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 33,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $433,000 after purchasing an additional 863 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of John Hancock Investors Trust during the 1st quarter worth about $299,000. Riverbridge Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of John Hancock Investors Trust by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC now owns 47,763 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $617,000 after purchasing an additional 1,855 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sit Investment Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of John Hancock Investors Trust by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. now owns 597,048 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,162,000 after purchasing an additional 64,495 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.01% of the company’s stock.

John Hancock Investors Trust Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of John Hancock Investors Trust stock traded up $0.07 on Friday, hitting $12.09. 40,230 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 24,966. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $12.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.10. John Hancock Investors Trust has a 12-month low of $11.93 and a 12-month high of $14.26.

John Hancock Investors Trust Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a dividend of $0.2940 per share. This is a negative change from John Hancock Investors Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2970. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th.

About John Hancock Investors Trust

John Hancock Investors Trust (NYSE:JHI) is a publicly traded closed-end investment company. The fund seeks long-term growth of capital by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of equity securities, including common stocks of companies across a range of industries.

The trust is managed by John Hancock Investment Management, an asset-management organization affiliated with Manulife Investment Management. Its portfolio is professionally selected and managed, with investment decisions based on research and analysis of individual companies and broader market conditions.

As a closed-end fund, John Hancock Investors Trust issues a fixed number of shares that trade on the New York Stock Exchange.