First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (NASDAQ:QABA) Short Interest Up 219.3% in September

Key Points

• Short interest in the First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (NASDAQ:QABA) surged by 219.3% in September, reaching a total of 34,800 shares.
• Institutional investment increases included a 27.1% boost from Bank of America and an 86.3% increase by Cetera Investment Advisers during the second quarter.
• The fund recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.3523 per share, yielding approximately 2.7% annually, reflecting a rise from the previous dividend of $0.28.

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (NASDAQ:QABA - ) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 34,800 shares, a growth of 219.3% from the September 15th total of 10,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 40,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 40,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.9 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QABA. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund by 27.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 139,575 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,565,000 after acquiring an additional 29,749 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund in the second quarter valued at $1,176,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund by 86.3% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 11,552 shares of the company's stock valued at $626,000 after purchasing an additional 5,352 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund during the 2nd quarter worth $364,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 6,612 shares of the company's stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the period.

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund Trading Up 1.5%

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund stock opened at $52.95 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $56.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.23. First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund has a 12 month low of $45.06 and a 12 month high of $64.30. The company has a market capitalization of $105.90 million, a PE ratio of 13.59 and a beta of 0.92.

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 25th were given a dividend of $0.3523 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 25th. This represents a $1.41 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28.

First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund Company Profile

The First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (QABA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NASDAQ OMX ABA Community Bank index. The fund tracks an index of NASDAQ-listed banks and thrifts, excluding the 50 largest. QABA was launched on Jun 29, 2009 and is managed by First Trust.

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