iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:EMB)

iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF (NASDAQ:EMB) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors acquired 50,007 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 3,439% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,413 put options.

iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ EMB traded down $0.56 during trading on Thursday, reaching $96.31. 10,171,531 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,072,547. iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF has a fifty-two week low of $84.78 and a fifty-two week high of $97.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $96.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $95.98.

iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a $0.403 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Richardson Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 369 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. First United Bank & Trust raised its holdings in iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF by 47.7% in the 3rd quarter. First United Bank & Trust now owns 415 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. 91.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF

iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF, formerly iShares JPMorgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the JPMorgan EMBI Global Core Index (the Index). The Index is a diverse United States dollar-denominated emerging markets debt benchmark, which tracks the total return of actively traded external debt instruments in emerging market countries. The Fund invests in a representative sample of the securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index.