BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BKT) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BKT) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 92,100 shares, a drop of 22.3% from the February 13th total of 118,600 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 68,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days.

BlackRock Income Trust Price Performance

Shares of BlackRock Income Trust stock traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $11.72. 16,108 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 63,816. BlackRock Income Trust has a 52 week low of $11.06 and a 52 week high of $12.67. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.92.

BlackRock Income Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.0882 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.03%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BlackRock Income Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in BlackRock Income Trust by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 27,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 1,793 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank raised its position in BlackRock Income Trust by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 8,123 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. Virtus ETF Advisers LLC raised its position in BlackRock Income Trust by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Virtus ETF Advisers LLC now owns 65,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $751,000 after purchasing an additional 13,450 shares during the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its position in BlackRock Income Trust by 32.7% in the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 789,229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,092,000 after purchasing an additional 194,603 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in BlackRock Income Trust by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 212,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 34,937 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 39.43% of the company’s stock.

About BlackRock Income Trust

BlackRock Income Trust, Inc is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc The fund is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. The fund invests in securities of companies that operate across diversified sectors. It invests in securities such as U.S.