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

by · The Markets Daily

iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX – Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Traders bought 30,454 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 166% compared to the typical daily volume of 11,430 put options.

iShares Semiconductor ETF Price Performance

Shares of SOXX stock traded up $0.99 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $356.83. The stock had a trading volume of 3,113,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,691,541. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $330.05 and its 200 day moving average is $294.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.62 billion, a PE ratio of 31.84 and a beta of 1.51. iShares Semiconductor ETF has a twelve month low of $148.31 and a twelve month high of $365.38.

iShares Semiconductor ETF Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.4363 per share. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On iShares Semiconductor ETF

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bauman Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Semiconductor ETF during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $467,000. ATX Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in iShares Semiconductor ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $985,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in iShares Semiconductor ETF by 485.5% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 127,033 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $38,251,000 after purchasing an additional 105,336 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in iShares Semiconductor ETF by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 20,743 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $6,247,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Chip Partners LLC boosted its position in iShares Semiconductor ETF by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC now owns 3,563 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $1,073,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter.

iShares Semiconductor ETF Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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