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

Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 10,913 shares, a growth of 76.7% from the January 15th total of 6,175 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 33,131 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 33,131 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insider Transactions at Sprott Focus Trust

In other news, Portfolio Manager W Whitney George sold 17,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.85, for a total value of $156,645.00. Following the transaction, the portfolio manager directly owned 306,805 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,224.25. This trade represents a 5.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders bought a total of 272,022 shares of company stock worth $2,339,907 over the last ninety days. 52.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Shaker Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Sprott Focus Trust by 44.9% during the 2nd quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 459,701 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 142,553 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 105,640 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $917,000 after purchasing an additional 7,051 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Sprott Focus Trust by 126.7% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 45,493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 25,425 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake 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 valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 33,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Sprott Focus Trust by 20.5% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 13,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 2,300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.63% of the company’s stock.

Sprott Focus Trust Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of FUND traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $9.78. 14,075 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 33,539. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.50. Sprott Focus Trust has a 12-month low of $6.21 and a 12-month high of $9.96.

Sprott Focus Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were issued a $0.1911 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.8%. This is an increase from Sprott Focus Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13.

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.