Short Interest in First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FEMS) Decreases By 33.2%

Key Points

• Short interest in the First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FEMS) fell by 33.2% in July, reducing the total to 18,900 shares.
• The fund has recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.5218, resulting in an annualized yield of 4.9%.
• Institutional investors have noticeably increased their holdings, with some firms growing their stakes by over 100% in the second quarter.

First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FEMS - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 18,900 shares, adeclineof33.2% from the July 15th total of 28,300 shares. Currently,0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 26,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 26,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days. Currently,0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Institutional Trading of First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FEMS. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund by 100.0% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,066 shares of the exchange traded fund's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund in the second quarter worth about $61,000. Two Sigma Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund in the fourth quarter worth about $215,000. Richmond Investment Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund in the fourth quarter worth about $225,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in shares of First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund by 9.4% in the second quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,935 shares of the exchange traded fund's stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares in the last quarter.

First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund Stock Performance

FEMS stock traded up $0.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $43.71. The company had a trading volume of 11,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,879. The firm has a market cap of $279.74 million, a PE ratio of 8.10 and a beta of 0.92. First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund has a 12 month low of $32.31 and a 12 month high of $43.71. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $41.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.00.

First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th were given a $0.5218 dividend. This is a positive change from First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund's previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. This represents a $2.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 26th.

About First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund

The First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FEMS) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NASDAQ AlphaDEX EM Small Cap index. The fund aims to outperform other index funds by selecting small-cap emerging markets securities using quantitative metrics. FEMS was launched on Feb 15, 2012 and is managed by First Trust.