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

iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 5,559 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 48% compared to the average volume of 3,750 put options.

iShares Semiconductor ETF Price Performance

NASDAQ SOXX traded down $3.90 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $202.73. 2,024,013 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,043,105. The company has a market cap of $11.54 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05 and a beta of 1.34. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $219.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.01. iShares Semiconductor ETF has a 52 week low of $131.53 and a 52 week high of $240.01.

iShares Semiconductor ETF Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 22nd were given a $0.2249 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 21st. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%.

Institutional Trading of iShares Semiconductor ETF

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Semiconductor ETF in the 4th quarter worth $419,921,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in iShares Semiconductor ETF by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 701,831 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $244,223,000 after acquiring an additional 100,052 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in iShares Semiconductor ETF by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 542,796 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $257,095,000 after acquiring an additional 39,053 shares during the period. Global Assets Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in iShares Semiconductor ETF during the 1st quarter worth about $107,385,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in iShares Semiconductor ETF by 15,330.5% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 469,705 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $270,597,000 after acquiring an additional 466,661 shares during the period.

About iShares Semiconductor ETF

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).