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

Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,100 shares, an increase of 30.8% from the September 30th total of 3,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 35,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Insider Activity at Sprott Focus Trust

In other news, Portfolio Manager W Whitney George sold 26,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.58, for a total transaction of $197,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the portfolio manager now directly owns 321,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,434,044.12. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 48.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sprott Focus Trust

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FUND. 9258 Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust during the first quarter worth $87,000. Cetera Advisors LLC bought a new position in Sprott Focus Trust during the 1st quarter worth $1,867,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Sprott Focus Trust by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 134,938 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,009,000 after buying an additional 6,198 shares during the period. Shaker Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 10.2% in the 2nd quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 995,343 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,466,000 after buying an additional 92,476 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 392.5% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 63,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $474,000 after buying an additional 50,485 shares during the last quarter. 12.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sprott Focus Trust Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FUND opened at $7.80 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $7.73 and its 200-day moving average is $7.72. Sprott Focus Trust has a 1-year low of $6.92 and a 1-year high of $8.11.

Sprott Focus Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were issued a dividend of $0.1301 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.67%. This is a positive change from Sprott Focus Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th.

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.