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

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

Institutional Trading of iShares Semiconductor ETF

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC increased its stake in iShares Semiconductor ETF by 122.0% in the first quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 4,152 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $938,000 after acquiring an additional 2,282 shares during the period. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC bought a new stake in iShares Semiconductor ETF in the first quarter valued at about $218,000. Wealthstar Advisors LLC increased its stake in iShares Semiconductor ETF by 218.8% in the first quarter. Wealthstar Advisors LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in iShares Semiconductor ETF in the first quarter valued at about $3,225,000. Finally, Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its stake in iShares Semiconductor ETF by 195.0% in the first quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 5,448 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $1,231,000 after acquiring an additional 3,601 shares during the period.

iShares Semiconductor ETF Stock Performance

Shares of SOXX opened at $198.39 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $219.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $191.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.84 and a beta of 1.79. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 22nd were paid a $0.2249 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 21st. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%.

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).