Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 24,500 shares, a growth of 58.1% from the January 31st total of 15,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 42,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.6 days.

Insider Activity at Sprott Focus Trust

In related news, Portfolio Manager W Whitney George purchased 106,939 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $7.27 per share, for a total transaction of $777,446.53. Following the transaction, the portfolio manager now directly owns 7,813,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,800,968.01. This trade represents a 1.39 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 50.59% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sprott Focus Trust

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FUND. Sprott Inc. boosted its position in Sprott Focus Trust by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 14,777,915 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $108,080,000 after acquiring an additional 327,932 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in Sprott Focus Trust by 179.0% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 388,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,839,000 after acquiring an additional 248,980 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Sprott Focus Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $582,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Sprott Focus Trust by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 188,488 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,379,000 after acquiring an additional 52,645 shares during the period. Finally, 1607 Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Sprott Focus Trust by 20.4% during the 4th quarter. 1607 Capital Partners LLC now owns 310,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,268,000 after acquiring an additional 52,590 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.63% of the company’s stock.

Sprott Focus Trust Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FUND traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $7.40. The company had a trading volume of 41,218 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,331. Sprott Focus Trust has a 1-year low of $7.21 and a 1-year high of $8.23. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.71.

Sprott Focus Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a — dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were given a $0.2161 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This represents a dividend yield of 7.5%.

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.