BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BKT) Short Interest Analysis

BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BKT) experienced significant growth in short interest during December. As of December 15, the short interest reached 44,000 shares, which marks a remarkable increase of 105.6% from the 21,400 shares reported on November 30. Given the average daily trading volume of approximately 62,200 shares, the current days-to-cover ratio stands at 0.7 days, indicating how many days it would take for short sellers to cover their positions.

Stock Performance Overview

On a recent trading day, shares of BlackRock Income Trust rose slightly by 0.1%, reaching a price of $11.47. During this session, a total of 51,716 shares were traded, which is below the average trading volume of 62,669 shares. Over the past year, the stock has seen a low of $11.06 and a high of $12.67. The current 50-day moving average is $11.85, while the 200-day moving average stands at $12.08.

Dividend Announcement

In addition to the short interest update, BlackRock Income Trust also declared a monthly dividend that was paid on December 23. Shareholders who were on record as of December 16 received a dividend payment of $0.0882 per share. The ex-dividend date for this distribution was also on December 16. Annually, this results in a total dividend of $1.06 per share, equating to a yield of 9.23%.

Institutional Trading Activity

Several institutional investors have recently adjusted their holdings in BlackRock Income Trust. For instance, Canal Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in the second quarter valued at $231,000. Similarly, Choreo LLC purchased shares valued at approximately $233,000 in the same quarter. Additionally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake by 4.2% in the third quarter, resulting in a total ownership of 43,779 shares valued at $544,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings by 34.3% during the third quarter, acquiring an additional 17,000 shares which brought their total to 66,493 shares, worth $826,000. Finally, Melfa Wealth Management Inc. also marginally increased its stake by 1.3%, now holding 374,393 shares valued at about $4,654,000. The cumulative ownership of institutional investors in the company amounts to 39.43% of its shares.

About BlackRock Income Trust

BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. is a closed-end fixed-income mutual fund managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund operates primarily in the fixed income markets of the United States, investing in securities of diverse sectors. Its strategy focuses on providing income through investments in fixed-income securities.

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