Sterling Financial Planning Inc. Reduces Position in iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (BATS:GOVT)

Sterling Financial Planning Inc. cut its holdings in shares of iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (BATS:GOVT) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 157,153 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,231 shares during the period. iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF comprises approximately 1.6% of Sterling Financial Planning Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Sterling Financial Planning Inc.’s holdings in iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF were worth $3,621,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 24,695 shares of the company’s stock worth $642,000 after purchasing an additional 1,879 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC purchased a new stake in iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,071,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 338,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,440,000 after acquiring an additional 10,375 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. grew its stake in iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 406,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,132,000 after acquiring an additional 38,476 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. grew its stake in iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 558,798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,920,000 after acquiring an additional 142,658 shares in the last quarter.

iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF Trading Down 0.2 %

BATS GOVT traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $22.18. 11,329,354 shares of the company’s stock traded hands. The company’s 50-day moving average is $22.57 and its 200-day moving average is $22.49.

iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 2nd were paid a $0.0583 dividend. This is a boost from iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF’s previous dividend of $0.05. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 1st.

iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF Company Profile

The iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the ICE U.S. Treasury Core Bond index. The fund tracks a market-weighted index of fixed-rate nonconvertible U.S. Treasury securities with a remaining maturity of one year or more. GOVT was launched on Feb 14, 2012 and is managed by BlackRock.