Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) Short Interest Up 117.9% in November

Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 25,500 shares, an increase of 117.9% from the October 31st total of 11,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 43,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Portfolio Manager W Whitney George sold 26,000 shares of Sprott Focus Trust stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.58, for a total transaction of $197,080.00. Following the sale, the portfolio manager now directly owns 321,114 shares in the company, valued at $2,434,044.12. The trade was a 7.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 50.59% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sprott Focus Trust

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FUND. Cetera Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprott Focus Trust in the first quarter valued at $1,867,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sprott Focus Trust during the second quarter valued at about $1,226,000. Shaker Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 10.2% in the second quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 995,343 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,466,000 after purchasing an additional 92,476 shares in the last quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 392.5% in the second quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 63,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $474,000 after purchasing an additional 50,485 shares during the period. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $1,009,000 after buying an additional 6,198 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 12.63% of the company’s stock.

Sprott Focus Trust Stock Performance

NASDAQ FUND traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $8.09. 22,393 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 33,003. Sprott Focus Trust has a 1 year low of $7.25 and a 1 year high of $8.13. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $7.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.75.

Sprott Focus Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were issued a $0.1301 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. This is a boost from Sprott Focus Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13.

Sprott Focus Trust Company Profile

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.