First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund (NASDAQ:QQXT) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest fell sharply: QQXT short interest declined 35.4% to 27,547 shares as of July 15, representing 1.8% of shares outstanding and 4.4 days to cover.
• Institutional ownership increased: Several investment firms opened positions, while Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake by 31.7% to 3,337 shares.
• Shares and dividend: QQXT opened at $99.47, with a market capitalization of $154.18 million, while its quarterly dividend implies an annualized payout of $0.75 and a 0.8% yield.

First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund (NASDAQ:QQXT - ) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 27,547 shares, a decline of 35.4% from the June 30th total of 42,624 shares. Currently, 1.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 6,306 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.4 days.

Institutional Trading of First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of QQXT. Providence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new position in First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund during the third quarter valued at $228,000. Independent Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund during the first quarter valued at $254,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund by 31.7% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,337 shares of the company's stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 804 shares in the last quarter.

First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund stock opened at $99.47 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $98.44 and its 200-day moving average is $99.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $154.18 million, a PE ratio of 23.20 and a beta of 0.83. First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund has a 12-month low of $95.86 and a 12-month high of $104.06.

First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 25th were paid a $0.187 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 25th. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%.

About First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund

The First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund (QQXT) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NASDAQ-100 Ex-Tech Sector index. The fund tracks an equal-weighted index of NASDAQ 100 stocks that excludes technology companies. QQXT was launched on Feb 8, 2007 and is managed by First Trust.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.