iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA) Stock Sees Heavy Put Option Buying

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock traders purchased 150,372 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 228% compared to the average daily volume of 45,817 put options.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF stock traded down $0.98 during trading on Friday, reaching $103.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 23,728,417 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,385,287. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $105.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $103.20. The firm has a market cap of $76.72 billion, a PE ratio of 16.48 and a beta of 0.78. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF has a 52 week low of $91.21 and a 52 week high of $108.89.

Institutional Trading of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 214.8% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,734,895 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $362,770,000 after acquiring an additional 2,548,421 shares during the last quarter. New York University bought a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF during the 3rd quarter worth $155,842,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 27.9% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,586,139 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $542,581,000 after acquiring an additional 1,218,669 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 161.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 1,618,956 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $157,250,000 after acquiring an additional 999,705 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 19,033.3% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 861,000 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $83,629,000 after purchasing an additional 856,500 shares in the last quarter. 79.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Company Profile

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund’s investment objective is to seek investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of its underlying index, MSCI EAFE Index (the Index). The Index has been developed by MSCI Inc as an equity benchmark for its international stock performance. The Index includes stocks from Europe, Australasia and the Far East. The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index.