Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Put Options on iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA)

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors purchased 292,519 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 325% compared to the average daily volume of 68,879 put options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On iShares MSCI EAFE ETF

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 1,165.2% during the second quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 75,922 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $5,947,000 after buying an additional 69,921 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 223.7% in the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 622 shares in the last quarter. Waterway Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Waterway Wealth Management LLC now owns 559,013 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $43,787,000 after purchasing an additional 4,374 shares during the period. Kanawha Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 10,230 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $801,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cape ANN Savings Bank boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Cape ANN Savings Bank now owns 164,879 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $12,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares in the last quarter. 79.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Stock Performance

NYSEARCA EFA opened at $75.10 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.93. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF has a twelve month low of $72.58 and a twelve month high of $84.56.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Company Profile

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.