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

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II (NYSE:HPF) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of 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 daily trading volume, of 41,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 1.0% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II in the 4th quarter valued at about $203,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II in the fourth quarter valued at about $284,000. LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 43,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $723,000 after buying an additional 4,290 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II by 58.1% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 29,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $489,000 after buying an additional 10,854 shares in the last quarter.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE:HPF traded up $0.01 on Friday, reaching $16.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 32,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 42,014. John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II has a 1-year low of $15.39 and a 1-year high of $19.00. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $16.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.28.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $0.1235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.88%.

About John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II

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.