BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust (NYSE:BUI) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust (NYSE:BUI) saw a large drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 68,200 shares, a drop of 18.4% from the March 15th total of 83,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 55,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days.

Institutional Trading of BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BUI. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust by 103,187.5% in the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 8,263 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $186,000 after acquiring an additional 8,255 shares during the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,374 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $220,000 after acquiring an additional 603 shares during the period. Mariner LLC bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Sage Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust during the fourth quarter worth approximately $227,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,859 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 761 shares during the period.

BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust Price Performance

Shares of BUI traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $22.48. The stock had a trading volume of 47,061 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,550. BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust has a fifty-two week low of $20.27 and a fifty-two week high of $24.94. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.09.

BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.136 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $1.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.26%.

About BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust

BlackRock Utility, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc The fund is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. It invests in public equity markets across the globe. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating in the utilities and infrastructure sectors.