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

iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors purchased 49,561 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 29% compared to the average volume of 38,560 put options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On iShares Semiconductor ETF

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SOXX. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in iShares Semiconductor ETF in the second quarter valued at $768,000. Tactive Advisors LLC acquired a new position in iShares Semiconductor ETF during the second quarter worth $333,000. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in iShares Semiconductor ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,635,000. AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust LLC increased its stake in iShares Semiconductor ETF by 4.0% during the second quarter. AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust LLC now owns 7,739 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $4,959,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Finally, First Heartland Consultants Inc. lifted its position in shares of iShares Semiconductor ETF by 26.6% during the second quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 4,094 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $2,623,000 after purchasing an additional 861 shares in the last quarter.

iShares Semiconductor ETF Price Performance

SOXX stock traded up $28.85 during trading on Thursday, hitting $590.88. 6,572,244 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,267,576. iShares Semiconductor ETF has a 1 year low of $232.33 and a 1 year high of $655.95. The company has a market cap of $42.72 billion, a PE ratio of 31.84 and a beta of 1.77. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $559.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $422.67.

iShares Semiconductor ETF Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.2827 per share. This is an increase from iShares Semiconductor ETF’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.13 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%.

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). 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.