N-Q 1 d371461dnq.htm SPROTT FOCUS TRUST INC. SPROTT FOCUS TRUST INC.

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-Q

 

 

QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY

Investment Company Act file number 811-05379

 

 

SPROTT FOCUS TRUST, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

Royal Bank Plaza, South Tower

200 Bay Street, Suite 2700

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5J2J1

(Address of principal executive offices)(Zip Code)

 

 

The Prentice-Hall Corporation System, MA

7 St. Paul Street, Suite 820

Baltimore, MD 21202

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 416-943-4065

Date of fiscal year end: December 31, 2017

Date of reporting period: March 31, 2017

 

 

 


Item 1. Schedule of Investments. – The schedules of investments for the period ended March 31, 2017, are filed herewith.

 


Sprott Focus Trust

March 31, 2017 (unaudited)

 

Schedule of Investments

Common Stocks - 93.9%

 

     SHARES      VALUE  

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY - 14.3%

 

AUTO COMPONENTS - 3.2%

 

Gentex Corp.1

     315,000      $ 6,718,950  
     

 

 

 

AUTOMOBILES - 1.2%

 

Thor Industries, Inc.1

     25,000        2,403,250  
     

 

 

 

HOUSEHOLD DURABLES - 3.2%

 

Century Communities, Inc.1,2

     125,000        3,175,000  

Garmin Ltd.

     70,000        3,577,700  
     

 

 

 
        6,752,700  
     

 

 

 

SPECIALTY RETAIL - 6.7%

 

Buckle, Inc. (The)1

     160,000        2,976,000  

Chico’s FAS, Inc.1

     100,000        1,420,000  

GameStop Corp. Cl. A

     350,000        7,892,500  

Williams-Sonoma, Inc.1

     30,000        1,608,600  
     

 

 

 
        13,897,100  
     

 

 

 

Total (Cost $28,154,609)

        29,772,000  
     

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES - 9.9%

 

FOOD PRODUCTS - 9.9%

 

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc.1

     165,000        6,072,000  

Industrias Bachoco SAB de CV ADR

     85,000        4,596,800  

Sanderson Farms, Inc.

     95,000        9,864,800  
     

 

 

 
        20,533,600  
     

 

 

 

Total (Cost $14,690,688)

        20,533,600  
     

 

 

 

ENERGY - 12.2%

 

ENERGY EQUIPMENT & SERVICES - 8.7%

 

CARBO Ceramics, Inc.1,2

     145,000        1,890,800  

Helmerich & Payne, Inc.1

     75,000        4,992,750  

Pason Systems, Inc.1

     375,000        5,416,964  

TGS Nopec Geophysical Co. ASA

     90,000        1,907,713  

Unit Corp.1,2

     155,000        3,744,800  
     

 

 

 
        17,953,027  
     

 

 

 

OIL, GAS & CONSUMABLE FUELS - 3.5%

 

Birchcliff Energy Ltd.

     500,000        2,842,426  

Exxon Mobil Corp.1

     55,000        4,510,550  
     

 

 

 
        7,352,976  
     

 

 

 

Total (Cost $21,334,672)

        25,306,003  
     

 

 

 

FINANCIALS - 13.9%

 

CAPITAL MARKETS - 12.3%

 

Artisan Partners Asset Management, Inc.

     150,000        4,140,000  

Ashmore Group plc

     1,000,000        4,429,003  

Federated Investors, Inc. Cl. B1

     160,000        4,214,400  

Franklin Resources, Inc.

     230,000        9,692,200  

Value Partners Group Ltd.

     3,300,000        3,142,251  
     

 

 

 
        25,617,854  
     

 

 

 

DIVERSIFIED FINANCIAL SERVICES - 1.6%

 

Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. Cl. B2

     20,000        3,333,600  
     

 

 

 

Total (Cost $26,489,672)

        28,951,454  
     

 

 

 


INDUSTRIALS - 1.9%

 

MARINE - 1.9%

 

Clarkson plc

     120,000      $ 3,909,049  
     

 

 

 

Total (Cost $3,631,814)

        3,909,049  
     

 

 

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - 18.1%

 

COMPUTERS & PERIPHERALS - 8.2%

 

Apple, Inc.

     70,000        10,056,200  

Western Digital Corp.1

     85,000        7,015,050  
     

 

 

 
        17,071,250  
     

 

 

 

IT SERVICES - 2.0%

 

Syntel, Inc.1

     250,000        4,207,500  
     

 

 

 

SEMICONDUCTORS & SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT - 7.9%

 

Cirrus Logic, Inc.2

     75,000        4,551,750  

Lam Research Corp.1

     25,000        3,209,000  

MKS Instruments, Inc.1

     125,000        8,593,750  
     

 

 

 
        16,354,500  
     

 

 

 

Total (Cost $19,402,066)

        37,633,250  
     

 

 

 

MATERIALS - 17.4%

 

CHEMICALS - 3.0%

 

Westlake Chemical Corp.1

     95,000        6,274,750  
     

 

 

 

METALS & MINING - 14.4%

 

Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.

     75,000        3,183,000  

Ferroglobe plc.1

     300,000        3,099,000  

Fortuna Silver Mines, Inc.2

     330,000        1,716,000  

Franco-Nevada Corp.

     55,000        3,603,050  

Fresnillo plc

     195,000        3,801,550  

Hochschild Mining plc1

     750,000        2,611,358  

Major Drilling Group International, Inc.2

     380,000        2,017,370  

Pan American Silver Corp.

     170,000        2,978,400  

Randgold Resources Ltd. ADR1

     35,000        3,054,800  

Roxgold, Inc.1,2

     555,000        575,930  

Seabridge Gold, Inc.1,2

     300,000        3,300,000  
     

 

 

 
        29,940,458  
     

 

 

 

Total (Cost $28,276,181)

        36,215,208  
     

 

 

 

REAL ESTATE - 6.2%

 

REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT - 6.2%

 

FRP Holdings, Inc.2

     70,000        2,800,000  

Kennedy-Wilson Holdings, Inc.1

     375,000        8,325,000  

Marcus & Millichap, Inc.2

     70,000        1,720,600  
     

 

 

 
        12,845,600  
     

 

 

 

Total (Cost $9,043,747)

        12,845,600  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCKS (Cost $151,023,449)

 

     195,166,164  
     

 

 

 
     SHARES      VALUE  

MISCELLANEOUS - 0.0%

 

Ferroglobe Representation & Warranty Insurance Trust2

     400,000        0  
     

 

 

 

Total (Cost $0)

        0  
     

 

 

 


REPURCHASE AGREEMENT - 6.2%

 

Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, 0.09% dated 03/31/17, due 04/03/17, maturity value $12,914,000 (collateralized by a U.S. Treasury Note, 1.625% due 04/30/23 valued at $13,172,823)

 

     12,914,000  
     

 

 

 

Total (Cost $12,914,000)

        12,914,000  
     

 

 

 
     FACE      VALUE  

SECURITIES LENDING COLLATERAL - 9.3%

 

State Street Navigator Government Money Market Fund3

     19,272,376        19,272,376  
     

 

 

 

Total (Cost $19,272,376)

        19,272,376  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS - 109.4% (Cost $183,209,825)

        227,352,540  
     

 

 

 

LIABILITIES LESS CASH AND OTHER ASSETS - (9.4)%

 

     (19,507,241
     

 

 

 

NET ASSETS - 100.0%

      $ 207,845,299  
     

 

 

 

 

1  Security (or a portion of the security) is on loan. As of March 31, 2017, the market value of securities loaned was $35,597,385. The loaned securities were secured with cash collateral of $19,272,376 and non-cash collateral with a value of $17,305,432. The non-cash collateral received consists of equity securities, U.S. Treasuries, and Government Agency bonds, and is held for the benefit of the Fund at the Fund’s custodian. The Fund cannot repledge or resell this collateral. Collateral value is calculated based on prior day’s prices.
2  Non-Income producing.
3  Represents an investment of securities lending cash collateral.

TAX INFORMATION: The cost of total investments for Federal income tax purposes was $183,561,679. At March 31, 2017, net unrealized appreciation for all securities was $43,790,861, consisting of aggregate gross unrealized appreciation of $51,311,377 and aggregate gross unrealized depreciation of $7,520,516.


Sprott Focus Trust

March 31, 2017 (unaudited)                

 

Valuation of Investments:

Securities are valued as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on the valuation date. Securities that trade on an exchange, and securities traded on Nasdaq’s Electronic Bulletin Board, are valued at their last reported sales price or Nasdaq official closing price taken from the primary market in which each security trades or, if no sale is reported for such day, at their highest bid price. Other over-the-counter securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued at their highest bid price, except in the case of some bonds and other fixed income securities which may be valued by reference to other securities with comparable ratings, interest rates and maturities, using established independent pricing services. The Fund values its non-U.S. dollar denominated securities in U.S. dollars daily at the prevailing foreign currency exchange rates as quoted by a major bank. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at their fair value in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, under procedures approved by the Fund’s Board of Directors and are reported as Level 3 securities. As a general principle, the fair value of a security is the amount which the Fund might reasonably expect to receive for the security upon its current sale. However, in light of the judgment involved in fair valuations, there can be no assurance that a fair value assigned to a particular security will be the amount which the Fund might be able to receive upon its current sale. In addition, if, between the time trading ends on a particular security and the close of the customary trading session on the NYSE, events occur that are significant and may make the closing price unreliable, the Fund may fair value the security. The Fund uses an independent pricing service to provide fair value estimates for relevant non-U.S. equity securities on days when the U.S. market volatility exceeds a certain threshold. This pricing service uses proprietary correlations it has developed between the movement of prices of non-U.S. equity securities and indices of U.S.-traded securities, futures contracts and other indications to estimate the fair value of relevant non-U.S. securities. When fair value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by the Fund may differ from quoted or published prices for the same security. Investments in money market funds are valued at their net asset value per share.

Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Fund’s investments, as noted above. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels below:

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, foreign securities that may be fair valued and repurchase agreements).

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including last trade price before trading was suspended, or at a discount thereto for lack of marketability or otherwise, market price information regarding other securities, information received from the company and/or published documents, including SEC filings and financial statements, or other publicly available information).

The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

The following is a summary of the Fund’s investments as of March 31, 2017 based on the inputs used to value them. For a detailed breakout of common stocks by sector classification, please refer to the Schedule of Investments.

 

     Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Common Stocks

   $ 195,166,164      $      $ —        $ 195,166,164  

Miscellaneous

     —          —          —        —    

Cash Equivalents

     —          12,914,000        —          12,914,000  

Securities Lending Collateral

     19,272,376        —          —          19,272,376  

 

* Includes investment determined to have no value at March 31, 2017 in accordance with procedures approved by the Board of Directors.


Repurchase Agreements:

The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with institutions that the Fund’s investment adviser has determined are creditworthy. The Fund restricts repurchase agreements to maturities of no more than seven days. Securities pledged as collateral for repurchase agreements, which are held until maturity of the repurchase agreements, are marked-to-market daily and maintained at a value at least equal to the principal amount of the repurchase agreement (including accrued interest). Repurchase agreements could involve certain risks in the event of default or insolvency of the counter-party, including possible delays or restrictions upon the ability of the Fund to dispose of its underlying securities. The maturity associated with these securities is considered continuous.

Lending of Portfolio Securities:

The Fund, using State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) as its lending agent, may loan securities to qualified brokers and dealers in exchange for negotiated lenders’ fees. The Fund receives collateral, in an amount at least equal to 102% (for loans of U.S. securities) or 105% (for loans of non-U.S. securities) of the market value of the loaned securities at the inception of each loan. The market value of the loaned securities is determined at the close of business of the Fund and any additional required collateral is delivered to the Fund on the next business day. Cash collateral may be invested by the lending agent in short-term investments. As of March 31, 2017, the cash collateral received by the Fund was invested in the State Street Navigator Government Money Market Fund, which is a 1940 Act money market fund. To the extent that advisory or other fees paid by the State Street Navigator Government Money Market Fund are for the same or similar services as fees paid by the Fund, there will be a layering of fees, which would increase expenses and decrease returns. Information regarding the value of the securities loaned and the value of the collateral at period end is included in the Schedule of Investments. The Fund could experience a delay in recovering its securities, a possible loss of income or value and record a realized gain or loss on securities deemed sold due to a borrower’s inability to return securities on loan. These loans involve the risk of delay in receiving additional collateral in the event that the collateral decreases below the value of the securities loaned and the risks of the loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities experience financial difficulties.

As of March 31, 2017, the Fund had the following outstanding loans of securities to certain approved brokers for which the Fund received the collateral indicated:

 

Market Value of Loaned

Securities

   Market Value of
Cash Collateral
     Market Value of
Non Cash
Collateral
     Total Collateral  

$35,597,385

   $ 19,272,376      $ 17,305,432      $ 36,577,808  

Other information regarding the Fund is available in the Fund’s most recent Report to Stockholders. This information is available through Sprott Asset Management’s website www.sprott.com and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (www.sec.gov).


Item 2. Controls and Procedures.

 

  (a) The Registrant’s Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer concluded that the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))), were effective based on the evaluation of Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this report.

 

  (b) There were no changes in the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d)) that occurred during the Registrant’s last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Item 3. Exhibits.

Certification of the Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer of the Registrant as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-2(a)) is attached hereto as Exhibit 99CERT.

 


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

SPROTT FOCUS TRUST, INC.
By  

/s/ Scott Colbourne

 

Scott Colbourne

(Principal Executive Officer)

Date   May 18, 2017

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By  

/s/ Scott Colbourne

  Scott Colbourne
  (Principal Executive Officer)
Date   May 18, 2017
By  

/s/ Johann Lau

  Johann Lau
  (Principal Financial Officer)
Date   May 18, 2017