iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (NASDAQ:ISTB) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (NASDAQ:ISTB) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,010,000 shares, a growth of 213.2% from the December 15th total of 322,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 367,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days.

iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF Price Performance

ISTB traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $47.80. 278,965 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 408,407. The stock has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.72 and a beta of 0.07. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.03. iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF has a 12 month low of $46.65 and a 12 month high of $48.75.

iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were issued a $0.1587 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.98%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 18th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Boyd Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF during the third quarter worth about $7,841,000. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at about $7,611,000. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. bought a new position in iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,812,000. DORVAL Corp increased its stake in shares of iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF by 36.6% in the third quarter. DORVAL Corp now owns 266,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,893,000 after purchasing an additional 71,387 shares during the period. Finally, KFA Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF by 124.5% during the third quarter. KFA Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 113,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,541,000 after buying an additional 63,130 shares during the last quarter.

About iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF

The iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (ISTB) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in broad credit fixed income. The fund tracks a broad USD-denominated bond index with 1-5 years remaining in maturities. ISTB was launched on Oct 18, 2012 and is managed by BlackRock.