John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE:PDT) Short Interest Down 49.1% in February

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE:PDT) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 29,300 shares, a decline of 49.1% from the January 31st total of 57,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 119,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.2 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cohen & Steers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 23.2% in the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 773,593 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $9,856,000 after buying an additional 145,500 shares in the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 632,437 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,057,000 after buying an additional 52,065 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 628,792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,011,000 after buying an additional 150,909 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 1,225.2% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 550,563 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,278,000 after buying an additional 509,016 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 472,568 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,021,000 after buying an additional 24,350 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 12.98% of the company’s stock.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Price Performance

NYSE:PDT traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $12.96. 149,310 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 103,890. John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund has a one year low of $10.65 and a one year high of $13.55. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $12.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.93.

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $0.0825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 13th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.64%.

About John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund is a closed ended equity 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 public equity markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors, with an emphasis on the utilities sector.