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 September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,900 shares, a growth of 11.4% from the August 31st total of 4,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 28,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.2 days.

Sprott Focus Trust Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of FUND traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $7.72. 50,937 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 29,321. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.74. Sprott Focus Trust has a 12-month low of $6.75 and a 12-month high of $8.11.

Sprott Focus Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were issued a $0.1301 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.74%. This is a positive change from Sprott Focus Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sprott Focus Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sprott Inc. boosted its stake in Sprott Focus Trust by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 114,355 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $915,000 after acquiring an additional 3,397 shares during the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Sprott Focus Trust by 4.8% during the second quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 134,938 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,009,000 after purchasing an additional 6,198 shares during the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Sprott Focus Trust in the first quarter worth $87,000. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sprott Focus Trust by 392.5% during the second quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 63,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $474,000 after purchasing an additional 50,485 shares during the period. Finally, Shaker Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in Sprott Focus Trust by 10.2% in the second quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 995,343 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,466,000 after acquiring an additional 92,476 shares during the last quarter. 12.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.