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

Key Points

• Short interest fell 66% — short interest dropped to 15,068 shares as of April 15 (a 66.0% decline from March 31), representing 0.1% of shares and a days-to-cover ratio of 0.1.
• VOC raised its quarterly dividend to $0.095 (annualized $0.38), implying a 11.0% yield; the ex-dividend date was April 30 and the payout is scheduled for May 15, with a payout ratio of 86.36%.
• A hedge fund (International Assets Investment Management LLC) bought 10,000 shares (~$27,000), but analysts' consensus remains "Sell"; the company has a $58.9M market cap, a PE of 7.88, and reported $0.11 EPS last quarter with strong reported margins.

VOC Energy Trust (NYSE:VOC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 15,068 shares, a drop of 66.0% from the March 31st total of 44,270 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 106,809 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Trading of VOC Energy Trust

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in VOC Energy Trust stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of VOC Energy Trust (NYSE:VOC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

VOC Energy Trust Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:VOC opened at $3.47 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.91 million, a PE ratio of 7.88 and a beta of 0.23. The firm's 50 day moving average is $3.37 and its 200 day moving average is $3.08. VOC Energy Trust has a 12 month low of $2.60 and a 12 month high of $3.84.

VOC Energy Trust (NYSE:VOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 24th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter. VOC Energy Trust had a net margin of 85.78% and a return on equity of 67.64%. The business had revenue of $2.08 million during the quarter.

VOC Energy Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a $0.095 dividend. This represents a $0.38 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.0%. This is a boost from VOC Energy Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. VOC Energy Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 86.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on VOC. Wall Street Zen raised shares of VOC Energy Trust to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of VOC Energy Trust in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, VOC Energy Trust presently has an average rating of "Sell".

About VOC Energy Trust

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.

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