Investors Purchase Large Volume of SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF Put Options (NYSEARCA:KRE)

SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (NYSEARCA:KRE) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Traders acquired 120,739 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 46% compared to the typical daily volume of 82,440 put options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KRE. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF by 846.4% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 30,000 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $2,083,000 after purchasing an additional 26,830 shares during the last quarter. Brian Low Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF by 3.0% in the third quarter. Brian Low Financial Group LLC now owns 10,582 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $735,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in shares of SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF by 46.9% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 7,886 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 2,518 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. boosted its stake in SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 62,859 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $4,365,000 after buying an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VestGen Advisors LLC grew its holdings in SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF by 19.1% in the third quarter. VestGen Advisors LLC now owns 12,761 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $886,000 after purchasing an additional 2,043 shares during the period.

SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF Price Performance

Shares of KRE stock traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $72.01. 17,702,670 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,853,435. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.39 and a beta of 0.87. The business’s fifty day moving average is $72.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.93. SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF has a 12-month low of $58.20 and a 12-month high of $78.35.

About SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF

SPDR KBW Regional Banking ETF, formerly SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF, seeks to closely match the returns and characteristics of the S&P Regional Banks Select Industry Index. Its approach is designed to provide portfolios with low portfolio turnover, tracking, and lower costs. As of October 27, 2011, the Company’s holding included Privatebancorp Inc, Webster Finl Corp Conn, Umpqua Hldgs Corp, Firstmerit Corp, East West Bancorp Inc, Fifth Third Bancorp, Fnb Corp Pa, Susquehanna Bancshares Inc and Keycorp New and First Rep Bk San Fran Cali.