iShares Gold Trust Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSEARCA:IAU)

iShares Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:IAU) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors purchased 21,218 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 577% compared to the typical volume of 3,133 put options.

iShares Gold Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA:IAU opened at $47.51 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $46.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.99. iShares Gold Trust has a 12 month low of $34.35 and a 12 month high of $47.83.

Institutional Trading of iShares Gold Trust

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IAU. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in iShares Gold Trust by 226.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,060,223 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $236,531,000 after purchasing an additional 4,200,989 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 118.9% during the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 2,465,359 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $108,303,000 after acquiring an additional 1,339,100 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of iShares Gold Trust during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,021,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in iShares Gold Trust by 713.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 758,903 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $33,339,000 after acquiring an additional 665,653 shares during the period. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in iShares Gold Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,134,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.67% of the company’s stock.

iShares Gold Trust Company Profile

iShares Gold Trust (the Trust) is to own gold transferred to the Trust in exchange for shares issued by the Trust (Shares). Each Share represents a fractional undivided beneficial interest in the net assets of the Trust. The assets of the Trust consist of gold held by the Trust’s custodian on behalf of the Trust.