Short Interest in First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FEP) Rises By 60.3%

Key Points

• Short interest rose 60.3% in April to 9,926 shares (about 0.1% of shares sold short), leaving a short‑interest ratio of 0.4 days based on average daily volume.
• Dividend cut: the fund paid a quarterly dividend of $0.0762 (annualized $0.30) for a 0.5% yield and shows a negative payout ratio of -265.15%, indicating underlying losses.
• Shares traded at $57.57 with a market cap of $509.5M and a 12‑month range of $42.44–$59.39 (PE of -87.23), while several hedge funds made small additions or new stakes in the fund.

First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FEP - ) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 9,926 shares, a growth of 60.3% from the March 31st total of 6,193 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 26,241 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.4 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FEP. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund by 305.1% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 474 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 357 shares during the period. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund during the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund during the second quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund in the fourth quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC raised its holdings in shares of First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund by 32.5% in the third quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 1,257 shares of the company's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the last quarter.

First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund Stock Up 0.1%

NASDAQ FEP traded up $0.05 on Monday, reaching $57.57. The company had a trading volume of 9,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 40,188. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $56.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.39. First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund has a 12 month low of $42.44 and a 12 month high of $59.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $509.49 million, a PE ratio of -87.23 and a beta of 0.92.

First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 26th were issued a $0.0762 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 26th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund's payout ratio is -265.15%.

First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund Company Profile

The First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund (FEP) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NASDAQ AlphaDEX Europe index. The fund tracks a tiered equal-weighted index of 200 companies selected from the S&P Europe BMI based on the S&P's AlphaDex selection methodology. FEP was launched on Apr 18, 2011 and is managed by First Trust.

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