Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) Short Interest Up 178.9% in December

Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUND) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 5,330 shares, a growth of 178.9% from the December 15th total of 1,911 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 24,379 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 24,379 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Portfolio Manager W Whitney George acquired 173,880 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.60 per share, with a total value of $1,495,368.00. Following the acquisition, the portfolio manager directly owned 3,282,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,232,105.80. The trade was a 5.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 272,022 shares of company stock worth $2,339,907. 52.93% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wolverine Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Sprott Focus Trust by 79.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 4,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,783 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 20.5% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 13,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 2,300 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Sprott Focus Trust by 203.4% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 50,438 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 33,815 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its position in Sprott Focus Trust by 126.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 45,493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $378,000 after purchasing an additional 25,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hara Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Sprott Focus Trust by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 69,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 1,430 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 12.63% of the company’s stock.

Sprott Focus Trust Stock Up 0.7%

FUND stock opened at $9.01 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.24. Sprott Focus Trust has a 52 week low of $6.21 and a 52 week high of $9.05.

Sprott Focus Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.1911 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.5%. This is a positive change from Sprott Focus Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13.

About Sprott Focus Trust

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.