iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:EFAV) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 606.8% in October

iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:EFAV) was the target of a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 30th, there was short interest totaling 324,753 shares, a growth of 606.8% from the October 15th total of 45,946 shares. Currently, 0.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 458,405 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wharton Business Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $149,308,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 2.5% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 356,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,608,000 after purchasing an additional 8,781 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF in the third quarter valued at $26,802,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 18.3% in the third quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 227,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,765,000 after purchasing an additional 35,296 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 98.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 213,922 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,546,000 after purchasing an additional 106,290 shares during the last quarter.

iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of BATS EFAV opened at $96.31 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.81 and a beta of 0.47. iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF has a 52 week low of $83.85 and a 52 week high of $98.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $93.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.94.

iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF Company Profile

The iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (EFAV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI EAFE Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of developed-market equities, ex-US and Canada, selected and weighted to create a low volatility portfolio subject to constraints including sector exposure. EFAV was launched on Oct 18, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock.