Short Interest in Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) Rises By 68.2%

Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 36,000 shares, an increase of 68.2% from the February 28th total of 21,400 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 46,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.8 days.

Insider Transactions at Sprott Focus Trust

In other news, Portfolio Manager W Whitney George bought 106,939 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $7.27 per share, for a total transaction of $777,446.53. Following the completion of the acquisition, the portfolio manager now owns 7,813,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,800,968.01. This trade represents a 1.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 50.59% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FUND. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 3.4% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 92,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $712,000 after buying an additional 3,028 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its position in Sprott Focus Trust by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 329,649 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,538,000 after purchasing an additional 3,301 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC raised its holdings in Sprott Focus Trust by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 81,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $597,000 after purchasing an additional 2,345 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprott Focus Trust in the 4th quarter worth about $582,000. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 188,488 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,379,000 after purchasing an additional 52,645 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 12.63% of the company’s stock.

Sprott Focus Trust Price Performance

Sprott Focus Trust stock traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $7.36. The stock had a trading volume of 49,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 36,797. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $7.65. Sprott Focus Trust has a 52 week low of $7.15 and a 52 week high of $8.23.

Sprott Focus Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.1305 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.09%.

About Sprott Focus Trust

Sprott Focus Trust, Inc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Sprott Asset Management, LP. The fund is co-managed by Sprott Asset Management USA Inc It invests in the public equity markets of the United States. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.