iShares U.S. Small Cap Equity Factor ETF (NYSEARCA:SMLF) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

iShares U.S. Small Cap Equity Factor ETF (NYSEARCA:SMLF) saw a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 104,514 shares, a growth of 95.9% from the February 12th total of 53,358 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 372,007 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 372,007 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days.

Institutional Trading of iShares U.S. Small Cap Equity Factor ETF

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SMLF. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of iShares U.S. Small Cap Equity Factor ETF by 150.9% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 68,441 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,254,000 after purchasing an additional 41,163 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in iShares U.S. Small Cap Equity Factor ETF by 20.4% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 16,719 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,039,000 after acquiring an additional 2,832 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in iShares U.S. Small Cap Equity Factor ETF by 769.0% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 134,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,357,000 after buying an additional 118,972 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its position in shares of iShares U.S. Small Cap Equity Factor ETF by 100.3% in the 2nd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,508 shares of the company’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 755 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of iShares U.S. Small Cap Equity Factor ETF by 100.2% in the 2nd quarter. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC now owns 17,773 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,208,000 after purchasing an additional 8,895 shares during the last quarter.

iShares U.S. Small Cap Equity Factor ETF Price Performance

SMLF stock remained flat at $74.43 during midday trading on Friday. 211,865 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 339,318. The company’s 50-day moving average is $78.43 and its 200-day moving average is $75.82. The company has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.17 and a beta of 1.10. iShares U.S. Small Cap Equity Factor ETF has a fifty-two week low of $53.39 and a fifty-two week high of $80.72.

About iShares U.S. Small Cap Equity Factor ETF

The iShares MSCI USA Small-Cap Multifactor ETF (SMLF) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the STOXX U.S. SmallCap Equity Factor index. The fund tracks an index of small-cap US equities. Stocks are selected and weighted to increase exposure to four factors (quality, value, momentum, and low volatility). SMLF was launched on Apr 28, 2015 and is managed by BlackRock.