Royce Value Trust Inc. (NYSE:RVT) Short Interest Update

Royce Value Trust Inc. (NYSE:RVT - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 94,900 shares, an increase of 711.1% from the March 15th total of 11,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 62,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Francis D. Gannon bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $14.76 per share, for a total transaction of $29,520.00. Following the purchase, the vice president now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $29,520. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Royce Value Trust news, VP Francis D. Gannon purchased 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $14.76 per share, for a total transaction of $29,520.00. Following the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,520. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, President Christopher D. Clark acquired 3,300 shares of Royce Value Trust stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $14.76 per share, for a total transaction of $48,708.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 31,489 shares of the company's stock, valued at $464,777.64. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Royce Value Trust

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of RVT. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Royce Value Trust by 270.2% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 60,364 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,024,000 after buying an additional 44,057 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Royce Value Trust by 103.2% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 47,563 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $808,000 after acquiring an additional 24,155 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in Royce Value Trust by 10.2% during the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 51,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $880,000 after acquiring an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in Royce Value Trust by 2.6% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 30,216 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $513,000 after purchasing an additional 761 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Royce Value Trust by 12.1% in the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 138,756 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,357,000 after purchasing an additional 15,023 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 25.57% of the company's stock.

Royce Value Trust Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of RVT stock traded down $0.35 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $14.51. The stock had a trading volume of 205,842 shares, compared to its average volume of 244,106. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $14.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.78. Royce Value Trust has a one year low of $11.85 and a one year high of $15.24.

Royce Value Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.44%.

About Royce Value Trust

Royce Value Trust Inc is a close ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Royce & Associates, LLC. It invests in the public equity markets of the United States. The fund spreads its investments across diversified sectors. It invests in value oriented stocks of small cap and micro cap companies.

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