Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSEARCA:XLB)

Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEARCA:XLB) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders purchased 202,729 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 508% compared to the typical daily volume of 33,317 put options.

Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund Price Performance

NYSEARCA:XLB traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $50.89. The stock had a trading volume of 7,146,187 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,440,989. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $50.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.55 and a beta of 0.92. Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund has a one year low of $42.03 and a one year high of $54.14.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in XLB. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. purchased a new position in Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its position in shares of Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 578 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Thompson Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Thompson Investment Management Inc. now owns 600 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.78% of the company’s stock.

About Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund

Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Materials Select Sector Index (the Index). The Index includes companies involved in such industries as chemicals; metals and mining; paper and forest products; containers and packaging, and construction materials. The Fund’s investment advisor is SSgA Funds Management, Inc