First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FTA) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest in the First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund (FTA) rose significantly by 153.4% in September, totaling 48,400 shares, up from 19,100 shares in August.
• The fund recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.4007 per share from the previous $0.31, resulting in an annual yield of 1.9%.
• Institutional investors have shown increased interest, with Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raising its holdings by 78.9% in the second quarter.

First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FTA - ) saw a large growth in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 48,400 shares, a growth of 153.4% from the August 31st total of 19,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 30,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 30,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days.

First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund Stock Performance

Shares of FTA traded up $0.75 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $84.51. The stock had a trading volume of 17,982 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,779. The firm has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.54 and a beta of 1.11. First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund has a 12 month low of $66.01 and a 12 month high of $84.85. The business has a fifty day moving average of $81.90 and a 200 day moving average of $77.98.

First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 25th were issued a dividend of $0.4007 per share. This is a boost from First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 25th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FTA. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund by 78.9% during the second quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 202,848 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,950,000 after acquiring an additional 89,450 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund by 4,562.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 47,413 shares of the company's stock worth $3,638,000 after purchasing an additional 46,396 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund by 13.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 342,742 shares of the company's stock worth $26,950,000 after purchasing an additional 40,412 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund by 59.3% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 65,224 shares of the company's stock worth $5,004,000 after purchasing an additional 24,281 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund by 22.7% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 131,282 shares of the company's stock worth $10,323,000 after purchasing an additional 24,273 shares during the period.

First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund Company Profile

The First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund (FTA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NASDAQ AlphaDEX Large Cap Value index. The fund selects and weights value stocks using fundamental factors including sales, book value and cash flows. FTA was launched on May 8, 2007 and is managed by First Trust.

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