VOC Energy Trust (NYSE:VOC) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

VOC Energy Trust (NYSE:VOC) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totaling 46,739 shares, an increase of 210.2% from the April 15th total of 15,068 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 117,220 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.4 days. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On VOC Energy Trust

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in VOC Energy Trust stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in VOC Energy Trust (NYSE:VOC) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 10,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $27,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC owned about 0.06% of VOC Energy Trust as of its most recent SEC filing.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VOC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of VOC Energy Trust from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of VOC Energy Trust to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

VOC Energy Trust Stock Performance

NYSE VOC traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $3.29. The stock had a trading volume of 81,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 120,420. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $3.40 and a 200 day moving average of $3.10. The stock has a market cap of $55.95 million, a P/E ratio of 7.48 and a beta of 0.19. VOC Energy Trust has a 52-week low of $2.60 and a 52-week high of $3.84.

VOC Energy Trust (NYSE:VOC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.59 million for the quarter. VOC Energy Trust had a return on equity of 71.27% and a net margin of 90.03%.

VOC Energy Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a $0.095 dividend. This is an increase from VOC Energy Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. This represents a $0.38 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. VOC Energy Trust’s payout ratio is currently 86.36%.

VOC Energy Trust Company Profile

VOC Energy Trust is a Canada-based unincorporated, open-ended royalty trust focused on upstream oil and gas interests. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, the trust holds non-operated royalty and net profit interests in conventional petroleum and natural gas properties. VOC’s structure allows it to collect a percentage of production revenues without directly managing exploration or drilling activities.

The trust’s asset portfolio is concentrated in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, with producing properties across Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.