Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Trims Stake in BlackRock Health Sciences Trust (NYSE:BME)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC reduced its position in BlackRock Health Sciences Trust (NYSE:BME) by 2.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 47,823 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,351 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in BlackRock Health Sciences Trust were worth $1,982,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of BlackRock Health Sciences Trust by 20.9% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 184,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,224,000 after acquiring an additional 31,953 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock Health Sciences Trust during the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,800,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position in shares of BlackRock Health Sciences Trust by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 393,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,903,000 after acquiring an additional 37,555 shares during the period. L.M. Kohn & Company increased its position in shares of BlackRock Health Sciences Trust by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company now owns 7,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 704 shares during the period. Finally, Summa Corp. purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock Health Sciences Trust during the fourth quarter worth approximately $528,000.

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust Stock Performance

BME stock traded up $0.18 during trading on Friday, hitting $40.69. 17,079 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 33,261. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.74. BlackRock Health Sciences Trust has a 1 year low of $35.53 and a 1 year high of $42.86.

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, July 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.213 per share. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 15th.

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust Company Profile

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc The fund is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. It invests in the public equity markets of the United States. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating in the health sciences and related sectors, which include businesses involved in researching, developing, producing, distributing or delivering medical, dental, optical, pharmaceutical or biotechnology products, supplies, equipment, or services.