First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FEMS) Short Interest Up 190.3% in July

Key Points

• Short interest in FEMS surged 190.3% to 16,939 shares as of July 15, up from 5,835 shares on June 30. Short interest represents approximately 0.3% of shares outstanding, with a short-interest ratio of 1.0 days.
• FEMS shares fell 0.3% to $43.98, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The ETF recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.445, implying an annualized payout of $1.78 and a 4.0% yield.
• Several institutional investors recently established or expanded positions in the fund, including Fifth Third Bancorp, Geneos Wealth Management, Kestra Advisory Services, Sankala Group, and Stonehaven Wealth & Tax Solutions.

First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FEMS - ) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 16,939 shares, an increase of 190.3% from the June 30th total of 5,835 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 16,769 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days. Approximately 0.3% of the company's shares are short sold.

First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of FEMS stock traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $43.98. 21,397 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 30,020. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $45.95 and a 200 day moving average of $46.10. First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund has a 1 year low of $39.91 and a 1 year high of $49.49. The firm has a market cap of $244.12 million, a PE ratio of 8.10 and a beta of 0.49.

First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 25th were given a $0.445 dividend. This is an increase from First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 25th. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%.

Institutional Trading of First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FEMS. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,066 shares of the exchange traded fund's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund during the 4th quarter worth $68,000. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund in the 4th quarter valued at $93,000. Finally, Stonehaven Wealth & Tax Solutions LLC purchased a new position in First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund in the fourth quarter valued at about $206,000.

First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund Company Profile

The First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FEMS) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NASDAQ AlphaDEX EM Small Cap index. The fund aims to outperform other index funds by selecting small-cap emerging markets securities using quantitative metrics. FEMS was launched on Feb 15, 2012 and is managed by First Trust.

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