iShares MSCI Australia ETF (NYSEARCA:EWA) Short Interest Up 70.2% in February

iShares MSCI Australia ETF (NYSEARCA:EWA) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 4,812,363 shares, an increase of 70.2% from the February 12th total of 2,827,328 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,333,779 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days. Currently, 10.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Currently, 10.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,333,779 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days.

iShares MSCI Australia ETF Price Performance

NYSEARCA:EWA traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $28.11. 2,790,596 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,146,743. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $28.16 and its 200-day moving average is $27.14. The stock has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.89 and a beta of 1.04. iShares MSCI Australia ETF has a 1-year low of $20.50 and a 1-year high of $30.24.

Institutional Trading of iShares MSCI Australia ETF

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EWA. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in iShares MSCI Australia ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF by 10,333.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,565 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF during the 1st quarter worth about $42,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Simplex Trading LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF during the second quarter worth about $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.69% of the company’s stock.

About iShares MSCI Australia ETF

iShares MSCI Australia ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI Australia Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, of publicly traded securities in the Australian market, as represented by the MSCI Australia Index (the Index). The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Index seeks to measure the performance of the Australian equity market.