Short Interest in BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BKT) Grows By 12.3%

BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BKT) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 49,400 shares, a growth of 12.3% from the December 31st total of 44,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 61,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.8 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKT. BDF Gestion acquired a new position in BlackRock Income Trust in the 4th quarter worth $67,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 2,206 shares during the last quarter. Canal Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in BlackRock Income Trust by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. Canal Capital Management LLC now owns 21,964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 2,632 shares during the period. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. boosted its stake in BlackRock Income Trust by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 24,457 shares of the company’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 1,617 shares during the period. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in shares of BlackRock Income Trust by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 43,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $544,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares during the period. 39.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock Income Trust Stock Down 0.8 %

BlackRock Income Trust stock traded down $0.10 during trading on Monday, hitting $11.53. The company had a trading volume of 238,080 shares, compared to its average volume of 61,775. BlackRock Income Trust has a 1-year low of $11.06 and a 1-year high of $12.67. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.02.

BlackRock Income Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were paid a dividend of $0.0882 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.18%.

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.