First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF (NASDAQ:FSCS) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF (NASDAQ:FSCS) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 22,244 shares, an increase of 130.6% from the December 31st total of 9,646 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 17,026 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days. Currently, 1.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 1.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 17,026 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF by 4.5% in the third quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 362,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,308,000 after purchasing an additional 15,597 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF by 254.9% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 41,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,476,000 after purchasing an additional 29,653 shares during the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,260,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF during the 1st quarter worth approximately $550,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF by 43.1% during the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 13,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $500,000 after buying an additional 4,209 shares during the last quarter.

First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF Stock Performance

Shares of FSCS stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $36.76. The company had a trading volume of 4,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,610. First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF has a 12-month low of $30.22 and a 12-month high of $37.66. The company has a market capitalization of $60.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.57 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $36.32 and a 200-day moving average of $36.26.

First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $0.1035 dividend. This is a boost from First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.41 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%.

First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF Company Profile

The First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF (FSCS) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the The SMID Capital Strength index. The fund tracks an equal-weighted index of 100 well-capitalized small- and mid-cap US companies perceived to hold strong market positions. FSCS was launched on Jun 20, 2017 and is issued by First Trust.