Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) Short Interest Update

Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 38,704 shares, an increase of 210.4% from the June 30th total of 12,468 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 54,215 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Insider Transactions at Sprott Focus Trust

In other Sprott Focus Trust news, Portfolio Manager W Whitney George acquired 71,664 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $9.63 per share, for a total transaction of $690,124.32. Following the completion of the purchase, the portfolio manager owned 3,326,193 shares in the company, valued at $32,031,238.59. This trade represents a 2.20% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 52.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sprott Focus Trust

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Sprott Focus Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Advocate Investing Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprott Focus Trust in the fourth quarter valued at about $61,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 20.5% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 13,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $100,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300 shares during the period. Militia Capital Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $113,000. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Sprott Focus Trust by 203.4% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 50,438 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 33,815 shares in the last quarter. 12.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sprott Focus Trust Price Performance

Shares of FUND traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $9.89. 3,699 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 30,863. Sprott Focus Trust has a fifty-two week low of $7.50 and a fifty-two week high of $10.47. The business’s 50 day moving average is $9.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.76.

Sprott Focus Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th were issued a $0.1424 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 12th. This is an increase from Sprott Focus Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%.

About Sprott Focus Trust

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.