iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF (NYSEARCA:HEWJ) Short Interest Up 87.7% in January

iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF (NYSEARCA:HEWJ) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 64,948 shares, a growth of 87.7% from the December 31st total of 34,595 shares. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 44,517 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Based on an average daily volume of 44,517 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF Stock Performance

Shares of HEWJ traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $55.36. 13,134 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 36,692. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $54.27 and its 200 day moving average is $51.22. iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF has a 1-year low of $35.81 and a 1-year high of $56.74. The stock has a market cap of $525.92 million, a P/E ratio of 13.45 and a beta of 0.49.

Institutional Trading of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HEWJ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF by 7,286.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 155,119 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,642,000 after purchasing an additional 153,019 shares in the last quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. acquired a new position in shares of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at $5,570,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new position in shares of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF during the 3rd quarter worth about $379,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp increased its stake in iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF by 43.6% in the third quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 1,179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 358 shares during the period.

About iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF

The iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF (HEWJ) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund tracks an index of large- and mid-cap Japanese stocks, while fully hedging out its exposure to the yen relative to the US dollar. HEWJ was launched on Jan 31, 2014 and is managed by BlackRock.