Short Interest in John Hancock Income Securities Trust (NYSE:JHS) Rises By 80.0%

John Hancock Income Securities Trust (NYSE:JHS) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 5,539 shares, an increase of 80.0% from the June 15th total of 3,078 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 15,001 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.4 days.

John Hancock Income Securities Trust Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE JHS opened at $10.98 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.28. John Hancock Income Securities Trust has a 1 year low of $10.74 and a 1 year high of $12.09.

John Hancock Income Securities Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th were given a $0.1535 dividend. This is an increase from John Hancock Income Securities Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.61 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Income Securities Trust

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of JHS. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 3.8% in the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 211,766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,335,000 after purchasing an additional 7,715 shares during the last quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC grew its position in shares of John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC now owns 200,843 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,197,000 after buying an additional 7,788 shares during the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 60.1% in the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 131,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,540,000 after buying an additional 49,377 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp increased its stake in shares of John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 35.7% in the fourth quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 105,878 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,240,000 after buying an additional 27,841 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 23.9% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 60,103 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $678,000 after acquiring an additional 11,587 shares during the last quarter.

About John Hancock Income Securities Trust

John Hancock Income Securities Trust (NYSE: JHS) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide shareholders with high current income while preserving capital. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange since its launch in the late 1970s, the trust offers investors access to a broad portfolio of fixed-income securities under a professional management structure.

The fund’s primary investment activities include purchasing U.S. government and agency obligations, investment-grade corporate debt, mortgage- and asset-backed securities, preferred stocks, and selected foreign debt instruments.