Short Interest in VOC Energy Trust (NYSE:VOC) Expands By 943.0%

VOC Energy Trust (NYSE:VOC) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 441,259 shares, an increase of 943.0% from the July 15th total of 42,308 shares. Approximately 2.6% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 231,953 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days.

VOC Energy Trust Price Performance

VOC traded down $0.05 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $3.13. 38,202 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 165,974. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $3.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3.16. VOC Energy Trust has a fifty-two week low of $2.60 and a fifty-two week high of $3.84. The stock has a market cap of $53.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.63 and a beta of 0.12.

VOC Energy Trust (NYSE:VOC) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter. VOC Energy Trust had a return on equity of 66.87% and a net margin of 91.51%.The company had revenue of $1.70 million for the quarter.

VOC Energy Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 30th will be issued a $0.28 dividend. This is an increase from VOC Energy Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 35.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 30th. VOC Energy Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 254.55%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VOC Energy Trust

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in VOC Energy Trust stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in VOC Energy Trust (NYSE:VOC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of VOC Energy Trust in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, VOC Energy Trust currently has an average rating of “Sell”.

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.