Bullish Bets Build In Wynn Resorts Weekly Options
by Option Review - February 21st, 2012 1:39 pm
Today’s tickers: WYNN, CTRP, DTV & WMT
WYNN - Wynn Resorts, Ltd. – Weekly options on Wynn Resorts are humming with activity today on news the casino operator is cutting ties with principal shareholder and director, Kazuo Okada. Wynn is the biggest gainer in the S&P 500 Index this afternoon, with the stock trading 6.7% higher on the day at $120.24. Options activity suggests some traders expect the stock to extend gains on the news, at least through the end of this week. Feb. ’24 $120 strike calls printed the most volume of the weekly contracts, with some 2,660 lots changing hands against open interest of 204 positions. It looks like most of the $120 strike calls were purchased for an average premium of $2.04 apiece. Traders long the contracts stand ready to profit at expiration in the event that Wynn’s shares rally another 1.5% to surpass the average breakeven price of $122.04. Bullish activity spread to the higher Feb. ’24 $125 strike where around 1,100 call options were snapped up at an average premium of $0.50 each. Finally, fresh interest is building in far out-of-the-money contracts at the Feb. ’24 $130 strike where some 925 contracts traded against zero open positions. Most of the calls appear to have been purchased for an average premium of $0.16 each, positioning traders to profit should shares soar 8.25% to top the average breakeven price of $130.16 by expiration. Shares in WYNN last traded above $130.16 in November of last year.
CTRP - Ctrip.com International, Ltd. – Shares in China’s largest online travel site took a big hit Tuesday after the Company reported lower-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings on Monday. The earnings miss was followed by a number of analyst downgrades, helping drive Ctrip.com’s shares down as much as 10.3% to an intraday…
Good Fortune For Some As Shares In P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Boom
by Option Review - February 17th, 2012 1:34 pm
Today’s tickers: PFCB, IMAX & VRA
PFCB - P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc. – Options on the owner and operator of two restaurant chains, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and Pei Wei Asian Diner, were more active than usual this week following the Company’s fourth-quarter earnings report ahead of the bell on Thursday. Shares are up sharply today on a number of analyst upgrades, trading higher by as much as 8.1% to touch an intraday peak of $38.50. Traders that purchased calls on P.F. Chang’s yesterday despite the Company’s earnings miss, in some cases saw the value of their positions significantly increase overnight. It looks like investors purchased as many as 750 calls at the Mar. $35 strike yesterday for an average premium of $1.34 each. The calls today cost more than two times that amount, with the last traded price on the contracts up at $3.40. Finally, options traders positioning for shares to extend gains purchased some 250 calls up at the Mar. $40 strike at a premium of $0.60 apiece. Investors long the $40 strike calls stand prepared to profit in the event that shares in P.F. Chang’s increase 7.0% over the current price of $37.95 to exceed the effective breakeven price of $40.60 at March expiration. PFCB’s shares last traded above $40.60 back in July 2011.
IMAX - IMAX Corp. – Shares in the entertainment technology company are up 0.35% at $23.81 this morning, down 4.75% off a six-month high of $25.00 reached earlier in the week. The stock has rallied 90.0% off its October 2011 52-week low of $12.57, but options activity on IMAX Corp. today suggests one strategist expects the price of the underlying to reverse course in the near term. The stock and option combo initiated on IMAX in the first hour of…
J.M. Smucker Co. Calls In Demand Despite Earnings Jam
by Option Review - February 16th, 2012 1:42 pm
Today’s tickers: SJM, MS & NILE
SJM - J.M. Smucker Co. – Shares in the maker of branded food products fell as much as 9.8% to $70.50 today after third-quarter earnings missed expectations and the Company cut its full-year earnings estimate. The sharp correction in the shares may be temporary, by the looks of trades placed in J.M. Smucker Co. options straight out of the gate this morning. Investors snapped up calls across several expiries, perhaps taking advantage of deeply discounted premiums on the contracts in the view that shares may rebound. March expiry call buyers targeted the $75 strike, buying around 280 lots for an average premium of $0.60 each. Traders long the calls may profit at expiration next month if shares in the peanut butter producer rally 6.5% over the current traded price of $71.00 to exceed the effective breakeven point at $75.60. Same-strike price calls in the April contract were purchased 200 times at an average premium of $1.10 apiece, positioning buyers to profit above a breakeven share price of $76.10. Meanwhile, third-quarter results and the revision to full-year guidance seem to have sparked concern in other strategists buying SJM puts. Traders positioning for shares to extend losses purchased around 150 of the Mar. $65 strike puts at a premium of $0.41 each, and picked up around 220 July $70 strike put options at an average premium of $3.50 per contract.
MS - Morgan Stanley – It looks like some Morgan Stanley options players paid heftier premiums than necessary for downside puts this morning. Reports that Moody’s may cut its rating on MS by up to three notches sent shares in the financial services firm down as much as 4.0% to $18.20, sparking demand for downside protection. The shaky start to the trading day was…
Options Feeding Frenzy Ensues At The Cheesecake Factory
by Option Review - February 15th, 2012 2:20 pm
Today’s tickers: CAKE, LIZ & K
CAKE - Cheesecake Factory, Inc. – Traders are loading up on Cheesecake Factory call and put options today, perhaps ahead of the restaurant operator’s fourth-quarter earnings report next Tuesday. Shares in CAKE rose 1.6% to stand at $31.51 as of 12:55 p.m. in New York. March expiry calls garnered much of the attention from traders, with appetite for CAKE calls outpacing that of puts by around 1.4 to 1. The Mar. $34 strike calls are the most active as some 2,780 contracts changed hands against open interest of just 20 positions. It looks like the majority of the calls were purchased by one investor at a premium of $0.25 each. The strategist may profit at expiration in the event that Cheesecake Factory’s shares rally another 8.7% to surpass the effective breakeven point and new 52-week high of $34.25. The same investor may also be responsible for the purchase of call options at the Mar. $33 strike, where roughly 750 contracts traded for an average premium of $0.54 apiece. Time stamps for trades in the Mar. $33 and $34 strike calls exactly match those of transactions in the Mar. $29 strike puts. Nearly 950 of the $29 strike put options were purchased for an average premium of $0.55. The strategist snapping up both call and put options on the stock is prepared to see CAKE’s shares make big moves in either direction. The rise in demand for Cheesecake options has the overall reading of options implied volatility 31.5% on the day at 42.3% in early-afternoon trade.
LIZ - Liz Claiborne, Inc. – Shares in the owner of Juicy Couture, Kate Spade and other retail-based premium brands rallied to a fresh 52-week high of $10.38 today, extending year-to-date gains to 23.4%. A spate of…
Michael Kors Options On Trend After Earnings Blowout
by Option Review - February 14th, 2012 1:42 pm
Today’s tickers: KORS, AMLN & ACI
KORS - Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. – A number of options strategists appear to have benefitted handsomely from bullish positions held in the House of Kors today, with shares in the luxury retailer ballooning on better-than-expected third-quarter earnings. Shares in Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. have more than doubled since the December IPO, trading 22.7% higher on the day at $41.25 as of 11:40 a.m. Options on Kors are abuzz with after-earnings activity, with around 3.6 call options changing hands for each single put option in play. Some traders that placed bullish bets on the retailer in the weeks leading up to earnings in some cases saw the value of their positions sky-rocket. One buyer of a 1,500-lot Feb. $34/$37 call spread at an average net premium of $1.05 per contract on Feb. 9th may reel in maximum possible profits on the position at expiration, given shares in KORS are now trading well above the upper $37 strike. Call open interest in the front month is heaviest at the $33 strike where more than 5,480 positions were opened before today. It looks like most of the volume was generated in a single block of 4,831 calls that traded at $1.15 each on Feb 7th. The calls traded to the middle of the market one week ago with the bid/ask showing $1.05/$1.30. Today, these deep in-the-money calls trade at bid/ask of $8.20/$8.40 as of 12:15 p.m. The impact of better-than-expected earnings on the shares certainly makes for a happy Valentine’s Day for the trader in the event he or she purchased the contracts last week or a rather Grey day were the calls originally sold. Finally, investors positioning for shares in Kors to extend gains snapped up in-the-money calls at the $40 strike in February and March, as well as picked up around 255 calls out at the May $44 strike at an average premium of $1.56 each.…
Bear Put Spreads Take Shape In NetApp Ahead Of Earnings
by Option Review - February 13th, 2012 4:33 pm
Today’s tickers: NTAP, LYV & SGEN
NTAP - NetApp, Inc. – Options on the supplier of enterprise storage and data management software and hardware products and services are among the most active by volume today. Bearish positions are accumulating in the front month, with debit put spreads comprising the majority of overall options volume in the name. Shares in NetApp are currently down 1.1% to stand at $39.25 as of 1:20 p.m. ET, three days ahead of the Company’s third-quarter earnings report after the close on Thursday. The stock was cut to ‘hold’ from ‘buy’ with a share price target of $42.00 down from $54.00 at ThinkEquity today. It looks like one or more investors purchased the Feb. $34/$39 put spread roughly 9,000 times for an average premium of $1.85 per contract. Traders harnessing the strategy may be hedging long positions in the underlying shares or, alternatively, establishing outright bearish stances on the stock in the expectation that shares will pullback following earnings. Profits are available on the spread if shares in NetApp drop 5.35% to trade below the average breakeven price of $37.15. Put-spreaders could walk away with maximum potential profits of $3.15 per contract should NTAP’s shares plunge 13.4% to settle below $34.00 at expiration.
LYV - Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. – Put options on the live entertainment and eCommerce Company are more active than usual today, with more than 10 put contracts changing hands in the first half of the session for each single call option in play. Shares in the operator of Ticketmaster.com are up 0.90% at $10.82 just before 12:00 p.m. in New York. Traders may be snapping up put options on Live Nation Entertainment ahead of the Company’s fourth-quarter earnings report next Thursday after the close. The April $10 strike saw the…
True Religion Falls Apart At The Seams After Earnings
by Option Review - February 10th, 2012 1:22 pm
Today’s tickers: TRLG, KR & IGT
TRLG - True Religion Apparel, Inc. – Disappointing fourth-quarter earnings and weaker-than-expected 2012 guidance from high-end apparel maker, True Religion, saw shares down as much as 25.0% this morning to $27.57. The sharp pullback in the price of the underlying is a true kick in the pants for some traders holding bullish options, as the value of their positions tumbled overnight. One hard-hit strategy, a bull call spread initiated at $1.50 per contract yesterday afternoon, is practically worthless today. It looks like the trader purchased a 1,000-lot Feb. $37/$41 call spread for a net premium outlay of $1.50 per contract, looking for maximum possible profits of $2.50 per contract provided True Religion’s shares settled above $41.00 by February expiration. As of the close of trading on Thursday, with shares in TRLG at $36.80, the stock would have needed to rally % for the spread to yield maximum gains to the investor. But, with shares now sharply lower, the price of the underlying must soar nearly 40.0% to $38.50 in order for the trader to at least break even on the position. The trader takes maximum possible losses of $1.50 per contract on the spread if shares fail to rally above $37.00 by expiration next week. Meanwhile, investors that purchased bearish or protective put options heading into the earnings report saw the value of their positions soar. One such trade, the purchase of around 500 Feb. $31 puts for an average premium of $0.70 each at the end of January, is up big today. Investors buying the now deep in-the-money puts this morning paid an average premium of $3.22 per contract this morning, or nearly five times as much. Finally, investors positioning for shares in True Religion to extend losses ahead of February expiration snapped up some 500 puts at the $26 strike and another 140 puts at the $25 strike, at average premiums of $0.34 and $0.13 apiece, respectively.…
Appetite For Diamond Foods Options Rises As Shares Tumble
by Option Review - February 9th, 2012 1:55 pm
Today’s tickers: DMND, MHS & TRIP
DMND - Diamond Foods, Inc. – Investors sent shares in the maker of Pop Secret and Emerald snack nuts sharply lower on Thursday after the Company said it will replace its top two executives and restate earnings for the past two years. The already hard-hit stock opened down more than 40.0% this morning to touch an intraday- and multi-year low of $21.44. Options on Diamond Foods attracted all kinds today, with some strategists nibbling at calls and selling puts, while others position for further downside in the name. Investors expecting shares to somewhat recover in the next six trading sessions picked up call options in the front month. Approximately 1,400 calls were purchased at the Feb. $25 strike for an average premium of $0.86 each. Call buyers may profit at expiration next Friday in the event that DMND’s shares rally 11.2% off the current price of $23.25 to top the average breakeven price of $25.86. Meanwhile, out-of-the-money put selling in the front month may mean some traders expect the stock is unlikely to tumble much further from here within the next week. Put sellers looked to the Feb. $20 strike, selling around 1,500 of the contracts to receive an average premium of $0.64 per contract. Traders keep the full amount of premium as long as shares in Diamond Foods exceed $20.00 through expiration. Options volume on the food products company today currently exceeds 95,000 contracts, an active day for the stock, which has 158,981 contracts comprising overall open interest.
MHS - Medco Health Solutions, Inc. – Shares in the pharmacy-benefits-manager (PBM) are off slightly this morning, down 0.20% at $60.70 as of 11:30 a.m. in New York, but options activity in the name suggests the stock…
Jobs Report Drives Heavy Trading Traffic In Ford, General Motors Options
by Option Review - February 3rd, 2012 1:42 pm
Today’s tickers: F, GM, MAS & GILD
Options commentary to resume on Thursday February 9th.
F - Ford Motor Co. – The better-than-expected jobs number out this morning revved up investor appetite for automobile stocks, driving shares in Ford Motor Co. up 4.0% to $12.75. Call options on the U.S. automaker are flying off the shelves, with nearly 5 calls in play on the stock for each single put option traded. The single-largest transaction in Ford options appears to be a bull call spread that yields maximum possible profits if the price of the underlying rallies nearly 20.0% during the next few months to expiration. It looks like one trader purchased a 30,000-lot April $14/$15 call spread for a net premium of $0.15 per contract. The position may be profitable at expiration if shares in Ford Motor Co. climb 11.0% to surpass the effective breakeven price of $14.15. Maximum potential profits of $0.85 per contract are available on the spread should shares in the auto manufacturer surge 17.6% to exceed $15.00 by expiration. Overall options volume on Ford is up above 175,000 contracts just before 1:00 p.m. ET.
GM - General Motors Co. – GM’s shares are outperforming fellow U.S. automaker, Ford Motor Co., this afternoon, with the stock trading 8.4% higher on the session at $26.35 as of 12:55 p.m. in New York. Optimism spurred by this morning’s stronger-than-expected jobs report was followed by greater-than-usual options action in the name. A debit put spread in the March expiry, which may be an outright bearish bet…
Heavy Action In BP Call Options With Earnings On The Horizon
by Option Review - February 2nd, 2012 2:31 pm
Today’s tickers: ZNGA, UPS & SXC
ZNGA - Zynga Inc. – Options on the social game developer behind wildly popular games such as Words with Friends and FarmVille continue to trade at a Facebook-IPO-induced fever pitch today. Investors exchanged roughly 45,000 option contracts on Zynga by 12:30 p.m. in New York, while the price of the shares reached new heights one day after the highly-anticipated Facebook filing became a reality. Shares in ZNGA rallied as much as 21.8% in the first half of the trading session to an all-time high of $12.91. Out-of-the-money call buying in the front month suggests some traders are positioning for the price of the underlying to extend gains in the near term. February $13 strike call options that cost around $0.15 apiece at the beginning of the week, are now more than five times as expensive given the current asking price of $0.80 per contract. Traders looked to the Feb. $14 and $15 strikes, buying calls this morning at average premiums of $0.35 and $0.22 each, respectively. Call buyers may profit at expiration if Zynga’s shares continue to post strong gains in the next few weeks, but only risk losing the premium paid for the options should the stock’s run-up reverse course. Meanwhile, buyers of some 5,000 puts at the Feb. $12 strike stand to profit in the event that Zynga’s shares pull back off their highs ahead of expiration. Investors that bought into Zynga call options weeks ago when shares in the game developer were down sharply off their December-IPO price of $10.00 saw, in some cases, the value of their positions sky-rocket this week. Traders that paid an average premium of $0.85 apiece for Feb. $8.0 strike calls back on January 9 now find those call options cost $4.30 each as of 1:00 p.m. in afternoon trade.…

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Philip R. Davis is a founder Phil's Stock World, a stock and options trading site that teaches the art of options trading to newcomers and devises advanced strategies for expert traders...
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