First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF (NASDAQ:FTXR) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF (NASDAQ:FTXR) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 148,639 shares, a growth of 21.9% from the March 15th total of 121,964 shares. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 127,319 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days.

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF Price Performance

Shares of FTXR stock opened at $40.44 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $901.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.80 and a beta of 1.29. First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF has a one year low of $26.58 and a one year high of $44.85. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $40.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.44.

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 26th were given a dividend of $0.0342 per share. This represents a $0.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 26th.

Institutional Trading of First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF during the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF by 200.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF by 38.2% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 728 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp bought a new stake in First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $200,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC bought a new stake in First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $235,000.

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF Company Profile

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.