First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund (NASDAQ:QQXT) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Down 95.1% in September

Key Points

• Short interest plunged 95.1% in September to 1,024 shares, representing 0.1% of QQXT’s shares outstanding and a short-interest ratio of 0.2 days.
• QQXT shares fell 0.6% to $96.50, near the lower end of their 12-month range of $95.86 to $105.03.
• The ETF raised its quarterly dividend to $0.1919 per share, equivalent to an annualized payout of $0.77 and a 0.8% yield.

First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund (NASDAQ:QQXT - ) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,024 shares, a decrease of 95.1% from the August 31st total of 21,040 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,970 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.2 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund Stock Down 0.6%

First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund stock traded down $0.58 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $96.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,102. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.75 million, a P/E ratio of 23.20 and a beta of 0.82. First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund has a twelve month low of $95.86 and a twelve month high of $105.03. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $100.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.21.

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

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.1919 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 24th. This represents a $0.77 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund's previous quarterly dividend of $0.1870.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of QQXT. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Independent Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Equitable Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $351,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,623 shares of the company's stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund by 109.3% in the 2nd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 19,550 shares of the company's stock worth $1,908,000 after purchasing an additional 10,209 shares during the period.

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.