First Trust Dividend Strength ETF (NASDAQ:FTDS) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

First Trust Dividend Strength ETF (NASDAQ:FTDS) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 7,254 shares, a growth of 183.0% from the December 15th total of 2,563 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,540 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,540 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Trust Dividend Strength ETF

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in First Trust Dividend Strength ETF by 23.0% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,662 shares of the company’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 1,435 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its stake in First Trust Dividend Strength ETF by 40.7% in the second quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP grew its position in First Trust Dividend Strength ETF by 41.0% in the third quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 13,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $735,000 after acquiring an additional 3,844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC bought a new stake in First Trust Dividend Strength ETF in the third quarter worth approximately $543,000.

First Trust Dividend Strength ETF Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ FTDS opened at $59.58 on Friday. First Trust Dividend Strength ETF has a 1-year low of $44.26 and a 1-year high of $59.61. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.29. The company has a market capitalization of $29.79 million, a PE ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 0.96.

First Trust Dividend Strength ETF Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were given a $0.2484 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This is an increase from First Trust Dividend Strength ETF’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23.

First Trust Dividend Strength ETF Company Profile

The First Trust Dividend Strength ETF (FTDS) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the The Dividend Strength index. The fund tracks an index of approximately 50 US stocks or REITs considered to be well-capitalized and have a history of increasing their dividends. Holdings are selected based on fundamental criteria and equally-weighted within the portfolio. FTDS was launched on Dec 6, 2006 and is managed by First Trust.