Investors Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEARCA:XLU)

Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEARCA:XLU) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors acquired 47,979 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 135% compared to the average volume of 20,380 put options.

Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of XLU traded down $0.58 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $42.72. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 21,423,148 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,394,541. Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund has a 1-year low of $35.51 and a 1-year high of $46.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.74 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.79.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in XLU. Davis Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund by 171.3% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 312 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new position in Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund during the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co raised its holdings in shares of Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund by 148.0% in the second quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 372 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. 90.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund

Select Sector Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (the Fund), formerly Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund, seeks to provide investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of the Utilities Select Sector of the S&P 500 Index (the Index). The Index includes companies from industries, such as electric utilities, multi-utilities, independent power producers and energy traders, and gas utilities.