First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:FTXL) Short Interest Up 1,863.6% in December

First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:FTXL) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 463,400 shares, a growth of 1,863.6% from the December 15th total of 23,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 317,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days.

First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FTXL traded up $2.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $90.63. The company had a trading volume of 3,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 125,507. The firm has a market cap of $389.71 million, a P/E ratio of 24.77 and a beta of 1.29. The business’s fifty day moving average is $89.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.75. First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF has a fifty-two week low of $76.99 and a fifty-two week high of $107.74.

First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a $0.1657 dividend. This is a boost from First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF’s previous dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FTXL. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $534,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF by 81.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF by 24.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. TriaGen Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. TriaGen Wealth Management LLC now owns 28,781 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,685,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, StoneX Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 20,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,884,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period.

First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF Company Profile

The First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF (FTXL) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Nasdaq US Smart Semiconductor index. The fund tracks an index of the most liquid US semiconductor companies, weighted according to factors related to value, volatility and growth. FTXL was launched on Sep 20, 2016 and is managed by First Trust.