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

BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BKT) saw a large increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 47,000 shares, an increase of 9.3% from the October 31st total of 43,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 61,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.8 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BlackRock Income Trust

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in shares of BlackRock Income Trust by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 414,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,154,000 after purchasing an additional 19,061 shares during the last quarter. Melfa Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in BlackRock Income Trust by 1.3% in the third quarter. Melfa Wealth Management Inc. now owns 374,393 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,654,000 after acquiring an additional 4,896 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in BlackRock Income Trust in the third quarter worth about $13,380,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in BlackRock Income Trust by 34.3% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 66,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $826,000 after acquiring an additional 17,000 shares during the period. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in BlackRock Income Trust by 4.2% in the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 43,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $544,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. 39.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

BlackRock Income Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BKT traded up $0.05 on Wednesday, hitting $12.03. 46,413 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 61,638. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.07. BlackRock Income Trust has a 52 week low of $11.06 and a 52 week high of $12.67.

BlackRock Income Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.0882 dividend. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th.

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.