Short Interest in First Trust NASDAQ 100 Technology Index Fund (NASDAQ:QTEC) Grows By 19.8%

First Trust NASDAQ 100 Technology Index Fund (NASDAQ:QTEC) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 224,100 shares, an increase of 19.8% from the March 31st total of 187,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 119,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days.

First Trust NASDAQ 100 Technology Index Fund Stock Down 2.0 %

QTEC traded down $3.75 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $180.06. The company had a trading volume of 53,962 shares, compared to its average volume of 118,602. The company has a market capitalization of $3.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.23 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $187.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $173.84. First Trust NASDAQ 100 Technology Index Fund has a 52 week low of $120.50 and a 52 week high of $196.30.

First Trust NASDAQ 100 Technology Index Fund Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 22nd were given a dividend of $0.0084 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 21st. This represents a $0.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.02%.

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

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its position in First Trust NASDAQ 100 Technology Index Fund by 113,725.2% during the third quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 117,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,031,000 after purchasing an additional 117,137 shares during the period. Nilsine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in First Trust NASDAQ 100 Technology Index Fund by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 9,048 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,314,000 after buying an additional 382 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new position in First Trust NASDAQ 100 Technology Index Fund in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $673,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new stake in First Trust NASDAQ 100 Technology Index Fund during the 3rd quarter valued at $376,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of First Trust NASDAQ 100 Technology Index Fund by 20.6% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 821 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter.

First Trust NASDAQ 100 Technology Index Fund Company Profile

The First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector Index Fund (QTEC) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NASDAQ-100 Technology Sector index. The fund tracks an equal-weighted index of the largest Nasdaq-listed US technology stocks. QTEC was launched on Apr 19, 2006 and is managed by First Trust.