First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund (NASDAQ:QQXT) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 60.5% in September

Key Points

• Short interest rose 60.5% in September to 1,644 shares, though only 0.1% of QQXT’s shares are sold short and the days-to-cover ratio remains low at 0.4 days.
• QQXT shares gained 0.2% to $99.48, with the ETF’s market capitalization at approximately $144.25 million and its 52-week trading range between $95.51 and $105.03.
• The fund increased its quarterly dividend to $0.1919 per share, equivalent to an annualized payout of $0.77 and a 0.8% yield; several institutional investors also expanded their positions.

First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund (NASDAQ:QQXT - ) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,644 shares, a growth of 60.5% from the September 15th total of 1,024 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,208 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company's stock are sold short.

First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:QQXT traded up $0.22 on Friday, reaching $99.48. The company had a trading volume of 1,557 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,381. First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund has a twelve month low of $95.51 and a twelve month high of $105.03. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $99.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.25 million, a P/E ratio of 23.20 and a beta of 0.83.

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

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 24th were issued a $0.1919 dividend. This is an increase from First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund's previous quarterly dividend of $0.1870. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 24th. This represents a $0.77 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund by 109.3% during the second quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 19,550 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,908,000 after acquiring an additional 10,209 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund by 7.5% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,623 shares of the company's stock valued at $354,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund by 1.3% in the first quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 182,083 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,776,000 after purchasing an additional 2,345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund in the first quarter worth about $254,000.

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.