BlackRock MuniAssets Fund, Inc. (NYSE:MUA) Short Interest Down 56.2% in August

BlackRock MuniAssets Fund, Inc. (NYSE:MUA) saw a large decrease in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 826,593 shares, a decrease of 56.2% from the August 15th total of 1,885,194 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 369,065 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently, 1.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

BlackRock MuniAssets Fund Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE MUA traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $9.63. The company had a trading volume of 441,679 shares, compared to its average volume of 365,229. BlackRock MuniAssets Fund has a 1-year low of $9.62 and a 1-year high of $11.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $10.23 and its 200-day moving average is $10.54.

BlackRock MuniAssets Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.0555 per share. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rivernorth Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of BlackRock MuniAssets Fund by 177.9% during the 2nd quarter. Rivernorth Capital Management LLC now owns 868,104 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $9,451,000 after purchasing an additional 555,694 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in BlackRock MuniAssets Fund by 3,439.9% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 247,897 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $2,655,000 after purchasing an additional 240,894 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in BlackRock MuniAssets Fund by 27.0% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 428,231 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $4,715,000 after purchasing an additional 90,992 shares during the last quarter. Robinson Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in BlackRock MuniAssets Fund by 42.0% during the second quarter. Robinson Capital Management LLC now owns 183,406 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $2,008,000 after purchasing an additional 54,283 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in BlackRock MuniAssets Fund by 89.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 171,937 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $1,824,000 after purchasing an additional 81,069 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.38% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock MuniAssets Fund Company Profile

BlackRock MuniAssets Fund, Inc (NYSE: MUA) is a closed-end management investment company managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund seeks to provide investors with current income that is exempt from regular federal income tax by investing primarily in municipal bonds and other tax-exempt municipal obligations.

The fund’s portfolio may include bonds issued by states, cities, counties, municipalities and other public entities across the United States. These securities generally finance public infrastructure and services, such as transportation, utilities, education, healthcare and housing.