Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) Short Interest Up 139.5% in December

Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) saw a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,911 shares, an increase of 139.5% from the November 30th total of 798 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 26,230 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days. Based on an average trading volume of 26,230 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprott Focus Trust

In other news, Portfolio Manager W Whitney George purchased 120,070 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 29th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $8.18 per share, with a total value of $982,172.60. Following the transaction, the portfolio manager owned 3,215,943 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,306,413.74. The trade was a 3.88% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 52.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Sprott Focus Trust

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 126.7% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 45,493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $378,000 after purchasing an additional 25,425 shares during the last quarter. Sprott Inc. lifted its stake in Sprott Focus Trust by 0.9% in the third quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 15,219,058 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $126,429,000 after buying an additional 139,731 shares during the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 79.5% during the third quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 4,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,783 shares during the period. Shaker Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 3.2% during the third quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 474,364 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,942,000 after acquiring an additional 14,663 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 174,865 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,453,000 after acquiring an additional 28,969 shares during the period. 12.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sprott Focus Trust Stock Up 0.1%

FUND stock traded up $0.01 during trading on Friday, hitting $8.74. 18,246 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 33,417. Sprott Focus Trust has a 52 week low of $6.21 and a 52 week high of $8.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $8.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.10.

Sprott Focus Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.1911 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.7%. This is a positive change from Sprott Focus Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th.

Sprott Focus Trust Company Profile

Sprott Focus Trust, Inc is a closed‐end management investment company trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker FUND. Externally managed by Sprott Asset Management LP, the trust offers investors targeted exposure to publicly traded companies that generate revenue through precious metals royalty and streaming agreements. By focusing on this segment, the trust provides a specialized approach to gaining potential income and capital appreciation tied to gold, silver and other base metal production.

The investment strategy centers on assembling a diversified portfolio of royalty and streaming firms with long‐life assets, stable cash flow profiles and strong growth outlooks.