BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust (NYSE:BDJ) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 61.6% in September

BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust (NYSE:BDJ) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 145,679 shares, a growth of 61.6% from the August 31st total of 90,122 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 433,782 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.3 days.

BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust Price Performance

NYSE BDJ opened at $9.44 on Friday. BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust has a 52-week low of $8.42 and a 52-week high of $9.95. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $9.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.38.

BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.0619 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.9%.

Institutional Trading of BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDJ. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust by 2.2% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 873,561 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $7,529,000 after buying an additional 18,520 shares during the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 837,658 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $7,221,000 after acquiring an additional 59,268 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,362,000. Boothe Investment Group Inc. increased its stake in BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Boothe Investment Group Inc. now owns 558,077 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $4,811,000 after buying an additional 30,111 shares during the period. Finally, SOL Capital Management CO acquired a new stake in BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust in the first quarter valued at approximately $3,168,000.

About BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust

BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust (NYSE: BDJ) is a closed-end investment company managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund seeks to provide current income and long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of equity securities, with an emphasis on companies that pay dividends.

BDJ uses an enhanced equity-income strategy that may include writing covered call options on selected portfolio holdings. This approach is intended to generate additional option-premium income while maintaining exposure to equity markets.