Altfest L J & Co. Inc. Has $17.77 Million Holdings in VanEck Semiconductor ETF $SMH

Altfest L J & Co. Inc. cut its holdings in VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SMH) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,333 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,432 shares during the period. VanEck Semiconductor ETF comprises approximately 1.9% of Altfest L J & Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Altfest L J & Co. Inc.’s holdings in VanEck Semiconductor ETF were worth $17,766,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its holdings in shares of VanEck Semiconductor ETF by 24,986.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 755,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,437,000 after purchasing an additional 752,097 shares during the last quarter. Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. raised its holdings in shares of VanEck Semiconductor ETF by 0.4% in the third quarter. Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. now owns 576,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,983,000 after purchasing an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. Meitav Investment House Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of VanEck Semiconductor ETF by 17.0% in the third quarter. Meitav Investment House Ltd. now owns 556,289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,266,000 after purchasing an additional 80,957 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of VanEck Semiconductor ETF by 8.3% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 534,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,198,000 after purchasing an additional 40,831 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of VanEck Semiconductor ETF by 8.5% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 526,529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $171,838,000 after purchasing an additional 41,280 shares during the last quarter.

VanEck Semiconductor ETF Trading Up 1.5%

NASDAQ:SMH opened at $436.88 on Friday. VanEck Semiconductor ETF has a 1-year low of $184.40 and a 1-year high of $441.54. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $399.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $373.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.90 billion, a PE ratio of 34.83 and a beta of 1.55.

VanEck Semiconductor ETF News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting VanEck Semiconductor ETF this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Macroeconomic/geopolitical relief is boosting chip ETF demand — analysts note that hopes for a truce in the U.S.–Iran conflict have reduced near‑term risk to data centers, chips and AI spending, lifting sentiment for SMH and other tech ETFs. The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights MAGS, QQQ, VGT, XLK, SMH and FTEC
• Positive Sentiment: SMH is being singled out for relative strength and is listed among thematic ETFs making new highs, suggesting momentum flows into semiconductor exposure. 3 Thematic ETFs Making New Highs Ahead of the Market
• Positive Sentiment: Sector-specific interest (e.g., memory) and product launches point to continued investor focus on semiconductors, supporting SMH’s rally. Roundhill Taps Surging Memory Sector with New ETF
• Neutral Sentiment: Some reported short‑interest data are inconsistent — one report shows a zero figure for April 10 (likely a reporting glitch), so treat that specific data point with caution when assessing positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose materially through March: as of March 31 there were ~12.42M shares sold short (up ~62.6% vs March 15), representing about 11.4% of shares — this elevated shorting is a bearish positioning risk that could amplify downside on negative news.
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put option flow today — investors bought ~147,424 puts (≈15% above the average daily put volume), indicating increased hedging or bearish bets that could cap upside or signal caution among derivatives traders.

About VanEck Semiconductor ETF

The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 index, a market-cap-weighted index of 25 of the largest US-listed semiconductors companies. SMH was launched on May 5, 2000 and is managed by VanEck.