Short Interest in First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF (NASDAQ:FTXR) Grows By 26.3%

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF (NASDAQ:FTXR) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,400 shares, an increase of 26.3% from the February 28th total of 1,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 5,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.4 days. Currently, 0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Institutional Trading of First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 16,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $551,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF during the fourth quarter worth approximately $203,000. Citadel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF by 38.2% in the fourth quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 22,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 6,327 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 49,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after buying an additional 8,721 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,047,000.

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF Price Performance

NASDAQ:FTXR traded up $0.55 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $30.37. The company had a trading volume of 1,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,405. First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF has a 1-year low of $28.05 and a 1-year high of $37.32. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $32.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.66. The firm has a market cap of $28.85 million, a PE ratio of 14.12 and a beta of 1.37.

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 27th were paid a $0.1173 dividend. This represents a $0.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 27th.

About First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF

The First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF (FTXR) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Nasdaq US Smart Transportation index. The fund tracks an index composed of 30 US transportation companies. Holdings are selected by liquidity and weighted based on volatility, value and growth factors. FTXR was launched on Sep 20, 2016 and is managed by First Trust.