Investors Purchase High Volume of iShares Semiconductor ETF Put Options (NASDAQ:SOXX)

iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors bought 57,170 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 136% compared to the typical volume of 24,226 put options.

iShares Semiconductor ETF Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SOXX traded up $9.91 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $614.93. The company had a trading volume of 5,884,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,434,294. The company has a market capitalization of $39.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.84 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $441.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $365.70. iShares Semiconductor ETF has a 12-month low of $213.54 and a 12-month high of $618.84.

iShares Semiconductor ETF Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a $0.2079 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On iShares Semiconductor ETF

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SOXX. Greenberg Financial Group acquired a new position in iShares Semiconductor ETF in the fourth quarter worth approximately $843,000. Sava Penzisko Drushtvo A.D. Skopje acquired a new stake in iShares Semiconductor ETF in the third quarter valued at approximately $12,275,000. Moulton Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in iShares Semiconductor ETF in the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,773,000. Optiver Holding B.V. increased its stake in shares of iShares Semiconductor ETF by 2,968.6% during the 3rd quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 20,222 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $5,483,000 after purchasing an additional 19,563 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares Semiconductor ETF during the 4th quarter worth $526,000.

iShares Semiconductor ETF Company Profile

iShares PHLX Semiconductor ETF, formerly iShares PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the United States-listed semiconductor stocks as represented by the PHLX Semiconductor Sector Index (the Index). The Index is an equity benchmark for the United States-listed semiconductor stocks. The Index includes companies primarily involved in the design, distribution, manufacture and sale of semiconductors.