Short Interest in BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BKT) Declines By 22.1%

BlackRock Income Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BKT - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 60,600 shares, a decline of 22.1% from the April 30th total of 77,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 76,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.8 days. Approximately 0.3% of the company's shares are sold short.

Institutional Trading of BlackRock Income Trust

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sit Investment Associates Inc. raised its stake in BlackRock Income Trust by 76.5% in the first quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. now owns 3,438,065 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,741,000 after buying an additional 1,489,662 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in BlackRock Income Trust during the fourth quarter worth approximately $12,815,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its position in BlackRock Income Trust by 32.7% during the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 789,229 shares of the company's stock worth $9,092,000 after buying an additional 194,603 shares in the last quarter. 1607 Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock Income Trust in the 1st quarter valued at $2,229,000. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock Income Trust in the 1st quarter valued at $1,146,000. Institutional investors own 39.43% of the company's stock.

BlackRock Income Trust Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of BlackRock Income Trust stock traded up $0.03 during trading on Thursday, reaching $11.56. 14,759 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 66,735. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $11.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.64. BlackRock Income Trust has a twelve month low of $11.25 and a twelve month high of $12.67.

BlackRock Income Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.0882 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.16%.

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.