First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FDT) Short Interest Up 270.7% in August

Key Points

• In August, short interest in the First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund (FDT) surged by 270.7%, rising from 36,500 to 135,300 shares.
• The fund recently increased its quarterly dividend significantly to $0.976, up from $0.11, resulting in a 5.2% dividend yield.
• Institutional investors have shown increased interest, with JPMorgan Chase & Co. raising its stake by 352.3% during the second quarter.

First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FDT - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 135,300 shares, an increase of 270.7% from the August 15th total of 36,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 44,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 1.7% of the company's stock are short sold. Currently, 1.7% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 44,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days.

First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ FDT traded down $0.59 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $75.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 18,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,273. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $72.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.69. First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund has a twelve month low of $51.33 and a twelve month high of $77.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $599.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 0.96.

First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund Increases Dividend

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

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

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund by 352.3% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 588 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund by 55.5% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,034 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund during the 2nd quarter worth $64,000. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new position in First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund during the 1st quarter worth $86,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund during the 2nd quarter worth $100,000.

About First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund

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.