iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $108.76 and last traded at $108.67, with a volume of 319631 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $108.09.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Stock Up 0.5%

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $104.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.48 and a beta of 0.78.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On iShares MSCI EAFE ETF

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 359.5% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,306,948 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $1,085,806,000 after buying an additional 8,846,240 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 31,617,599 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $3,036,238,000 after acquiring an additional 4,244,605 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,215,965 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $3,861,939,000 after purchasing an additional 3,481,849 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 214.8% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,734,895 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $362,770,000 after buying an additional 2,548,421 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valpey Financial Services LLC increased its position in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 9,468.5% in the fourth quarter. Valpey Financial Services LLC now owns 2,091,588 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $200,855,000 after purchasing an additional 2,069,729 shares during the period. 79.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About iShares MSCI EAFE ETF

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund’s investment objective is to seek investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of its underlying index, MSCI EAFE Index (the Index). The Index has been developed by MSCI Inc as an equity benchmark for its international stock performance. The Index includes stocks from Europe, Australasia and the Far East. The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index.