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

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Investors bought 151,656 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 227% compared to the average daily volume of 46,360 put options.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF stock opened at $102.82 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $106.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $103.70. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF has a 52-week low of $91.21 and a 52-week high of $108.89. The company has a market cap of $76.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.48 and a beta of 0.78.

Institutional Trading of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Clearbridge Investments LLC purchased a new position in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,552,000. Steph & Co. boosted its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 21.4% in the first quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 28,080 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $2,727,000 after purchasing an additional 4,955 shares during the last quarter. WLTH Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF during the 4th quarter worth about $1,816,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,238,465 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $4,179,972,000 after buying an additional 604,529 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 425,069 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $40,819,000 after buying an additional 25,395 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.80% of the company’s stock.

About iShares MSCI EAFE ETF

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.