First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FDT) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FDT) experienced a 52.1% increase in short interest in August, raising its total to 36,500 shares.
• The fund's recent quarterly dividend was declared at $0.976, significantly higher than the previous $0.11, indicating an annualized dividend yield of 5.3%.
• In terms of institutional activity, Bank of America and other firms have recently acquired or increased their stakes in the fund, reflecting growing interest.

First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FDT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 36,500 shares, an increase of 52.1% from the July 31st total of 24,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 41,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 41,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days.

Institutional Trading of First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FDT. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund by 23.5% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 66,835 shares of the company's stock worth $4,533,000 after buying an additional 12,726 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 16,617 shares of the company's stock worth $1,143,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund by 197.9% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 106,772 shares of the company's stock worth $7,342,000 after buying an additional 70,929 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund by 73.6% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 7,339 shares of the company's stock worth $505,000 after buying an additional 3,111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund in the 2nd quarter worth $64,000.

First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ FDT traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $75.41. The stock had a trading volume of 25,976 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,444. The company has a market cap of $598.76 million, a P/E ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 0.96. The business's 50 day moving average is $71.72 and its 200-day moving average is $65.39. First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund has a 52 week low of $51.33 and a 52 week high of $75.83.

First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th were issued a $0.976 dividend. This represents a $3.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 26th. This is a positive change from First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11.

First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund Company Profile

The First Trust Developed Markets Ex-US AlphaDEX Fund (FDT) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NASDAQ AlphaDEX DM Ex-US index. The fund tracks an index of international, developed-market stocks, selected by growth and value factors and equal-weighted in tiers. FDT was launched on Apr 18, 2011 and is managed by First Trust.