John Hancock Income Securities Trust (NYSE:JHS) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

John Hancock Income Securities Trust (NYSE:JHS) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in May. As of May 29th, there was short interest totaling 2,605 shares, a decrease of 73.1% from the May 14th total of 9,672 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 6,640 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.4 days.

John Hancock Income Securities Trust Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:JHS traded down $0.12 during trading on Thursday, hitting $10.96. 3,906 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,432. John Hancock Income Securities Trust has a 1-year low of $10.74 and a 1-year high of $12.09. The business’s 50 day moving average is $11.11 and its 200-day moving average is $11.39.

John Hancock Income Securities Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.1535 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. This is a positive change from John Hancock Income Securities Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. This represents a $0.61 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in shares of John Hancock Income Securities Trust during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in John Hancock Income Securities Trust during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Petra Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 34.2% in the first quarter. Petra Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 25,657 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 6,532 shares in the last quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC grew its stake in John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 4.0% in the first quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC now owns 200,843 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,197,000 after acquiring an additional 7,788 shares during the period. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp increased its holdings in shares of John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 16.1% during the third quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 78,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $911,000 after acquiring an additional 10,836 shares in 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.