BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BKT) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BKT) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 118,600 shares, a growth of 165.3% from the January 31st total of 44,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 69,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BlackRock Income Trust

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BDF Gestion purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock Income Trust in the fourth quarter valued at about $67,000. Comerica Bank raised its holdings in BlackRock Income Trust by 16.5% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 8,123 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock Income Trust by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 2,206 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in BlackRock Income Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $170,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in BlackRock Income Trust by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 17,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $202,000 after buying an additional 978 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.43% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Income Trust Trading Up 0.4 %

BKT traded up $0.05 during trading on Friday, hitting $11.80. 104,880 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 65,728. BlackRock Income Trust has a 12-month low of $11.06 and a 12-month high of $12.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $11.61 and a 200 day moving average of $11.97.

BlackRock Income Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.0882 per share. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.97%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th.

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.