John Hancock Income Securities Trust (NYSE:JHS) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 229.7% in September

John Hancock Income Securities Trust (NYSE:JHS) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 38,045 shares, an increase of 229.7% from the September 15th total of 11,539 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 8,549 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.5 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Income Securities Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JHS. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 3.8% in the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 211,766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,335,000 after purchasing an additional 7,715 shares during the period. Riverbridge Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC now owns 200,843 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,197,000 after buying an additional 7,788 shares during the period. Petra Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 34.2% during the 1st quarter. Petra Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 25,657 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 6,532 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP lifted its position in shares of John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 79.5% during the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 18,052 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $199,000 after buying an additional 7,996 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new position in shares of John Hancock Income Securities Trust during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000.

John Hancock Income Securities Trust Stock Performance

Shares of JHS traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $10.18. The stock had a trading volume of 5,556 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,786. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $10.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.91. John Hancock Income Securities Trust has a fifty-two week low of $10.03 and a fifty-two week high of $12.08.

John Hancock Income Securities Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a $0.1546 dividend. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. This is a positive change from John Hancock Income Securities Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.1535.

About John Hancock Income Securities Trust

John Hancock Income Securities Trust (NYSE: JHS) is a closed-end investment company that seeks to provide shareholders with a high level of current income, with capital appreciation as a secondary objective. The trust is part of the John Hancock family of investment products and is managed by John Hancock Investment Management, an asset-management business of Manulife Investment Management.

The trust invests primarily in income-producing debt securities. Its portfolio may include corporate bonds, government and agency obligations, mortgage-related securities, and other fixed-income instruments, including securities rated below investment grade.