iShares MSCI France ETF (NYSEARCA:EWQ) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

iShares MSCI France ETF (NYSEARCA:EWQ) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 713,318 shares, a decline of 22.2% from the March 15th total of 917,250 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 699,628 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days. Approximately 7.6% of the company’s shares are short sold.

iShares MSCI France ETF Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSEARCA:EWQ traded up $0.70 during trading on Friday, hitting $46.76. 263,660 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 491,102. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $45.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.91. iShares MSCI France ETF has a 52 week low of $38.64 and a 52 week high of $48.39. The company has a market cap of $439.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.82 and a beta of 0.89.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI France ETF during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of iShares MSCI France ETF by 106.3% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 949 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 489 shares during the period. Comerica Bank lifted its holdings in iShares MSCI France ETF by 54.9% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,182 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in iShares MSCI France ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $131,000. Finally, AlphaCentric Advisors LLC bought a new stake in iShares MSCI France ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $132,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.46% of the company’s stock.

iShares MSCI France ETF Company Profile

iShares MSCI France ETF, formerly iShares MSCI France Index Fund, seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of publicly traded securities in the French market, as measured by the MSCI France Index (the Index). The Index seeks to measure the performance of the French equity market. The Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Paris Stock Exchange. The Fund invests in sectors, such as industrials, financials, energy, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, healthcare, materials, telecommunication services, utilities and information technology.