Short Interest in BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BKT) Decreases By 22.3%

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BDF Gestion acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock Income Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $67,000. Comerica Bank increased its stake in shares of BlackRock Income Trust by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 8,123 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 2,206 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock Income Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $170,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of BlackRock Income Trust by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 17,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $202,000 after acquiring an additional 978 shares during the last quarter. 39.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock Income Trust Price Performance

Shares of BlackRock Income Trust stock traded down $0.04 on Wednesday, hitting $11.63. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 10,621 shares, compared to its average volume of 63,737. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $11.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.91. BlackRock Income Trust has a 52-week low of $11.06 and a 52-week high of $12.67.

BlackRock Income Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.0882 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.10%.

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.