Short Interest in iShares MSCI France ETF (NYSEARCA:EWQ) Rises By 59.5%

iShares MSCI France ETF (NYSEARCA:EWQ) saw a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 917,250 shares, an increase of 59.5% from the February 26th total of 575,072 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 661,891 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 10.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On iShares MSCI France ETF

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EWQ. Boltwood Capital Management boosted its position in iShares MSCI France ETF by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 9,650 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI France ETF by 54.9% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,182 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI France ETF by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 55,335 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $2,431,000 after buying an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI France ETF by 106.3% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 949 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in iShares MSCI France ETF in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.46% of the company’s stock.

iShares MSCI France ETF Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA EWQ traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $41.87. The company had a trading volume of 464,537 shares, compared to its average volume of 480,472. The company has a market capitalization of $360.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.82 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $45.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.79. iShares MSCI France ETF has a 12-month low of $35.24 and a 12-month high of $48.39.

iShares MSCI France ETF Company Profile

iShares MSCI France ETF, formerly iShares MSCI France Index Fund, seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of publicly traded securities in the French market, as measured by the MSCI France Index (the Index). The Index seeks to measure the performance of the French equity market. The Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Paris Stock Exchange. The Fund invests in sectors, such as industrials, financials, energy, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, healthcare, materials, telecommunication services, utilities and information technology.