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

Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) saw a significant 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 trading volume, of 42,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Insider Transactions at Sprott Focus Trust

In other news, Portfolio Manager W Whitney George acquired 106,939 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 purchase, the portfolio manager now directly owns 7,813,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,800,968.01. This represents a 1.39 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 50.59% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sprott Focus Trust

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Level Four Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 1,951 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 81,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $597,000 after buying an additional 2,345 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 3.4% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 92,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $712,000 after buying an additional 3,028 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 1.0% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 329,649 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,538,000 after buying an additional 3,301 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 86,671 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $634,000 after buying an additional 6,126 shares during the period. 12.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sprott Focus Trust Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Sprott Focus Trust stock traded up $0.03 on Friday, reaching $7.45. 19,582 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 36,435. Sprott Focus Trust has a 1-year low of $7.21 and a 1-year high of $8.23. The company’s 50-day moving average is $7.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.71.

Sprott Focus Trust Announces Dividend

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

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.