Weekly Puts In Play On Financial Stocks As Shares Extend Losses
by Option Review - May 9th, 2012 2:47 pm
Today’s tickers: WFC, MS, ODP & CPWM
WFC - Wells Fargo & Co. – Financial stocks were among the weakest performers as trading got underway this morning, spurring bearish activity in options on the largest banks. Shares in Wells Fargo are down 1.3% at $32.73 as of midday in New York, having surrendered a total of 5.4% since reaching a more than three-year high of $34.59 on April 2nd. Weekly put buying on San Francisco, California-based Wells Fargo & Co. suggests some traders anticipate the stock may continue to sell off through the end of this week. The May 11 ’12 $32 strike put saw the most action, with more than 2,600 of the contracts purchased for an average premium of $0.16 apiece this morning. Put buyers may profit at expiration if shares in WFC decline another 2.7% to breach the average breakeven point on the downside at $31.84.
MS - Morgan Stanley – Investors in Morgan Stanley are feeling more pain today, with shares in the name down 0.50% at $15.76 in early afternoon trading on the heels of a more than 25.0% move lower since the end of March. Options traders looking to benefit from further potential weakness in the shares snapped up more than 3,200 puts at the May 11 ’12 $15 strike for an average premium of $0.13 apiece. Traders long the weekly $15 puts on the financial services firm stand ready to profit in the event that shares in Morgan Stanley drop another 5.6% to trade below the average breakeven price of $14.87. Shares in MS last traded south of $14.87 back in December 2011.…
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DiggBears Connect With LinkedIn Puts As Shares Decline
by Option Review - May 8th, 2012 2:09 pm
Today’s tickers: LNKD, XRT & FOSL
LNKD - LinkedIn Corp. – Activity in far out-of-the-money put options on the social networking site for professionals suggests some traders fear the price of the underlying could drop substantially from current levels. Shares in LNKD closed last week at $117.31, up nearly 80.0% year-to-date at the highest closing price since the IPO, following the release of better-than-expect first-quarter earnings. However, near-term bearish positions initiated this morning look for declines in the near term, while longer-term put purchases paint a far gloomier picture for the shares during the next few months. LinkedIn’s shares are off their lows of the session, but remain firmly in the red, down 4.7% at $106.24 as of 12:25 p.m. in New York. Weekly put buyers snapped up puts at the May $100 and $95 strikes, shelling out an average premium of $1.24 and $0.75, respectively, for more than 500 contracts at each strike. Traders may profit at the end of the week if shares in LinkedIn continue to sink. Meanwhile, the purchase of more than 1,650 puts at the July $70 strike for an average premium of $1.22 apiece look for shares to plunge more than 35.0% this summer. Traders long the $70 strike puts make money if shares in LNKD settle below the effective breakeven price of $68.78 at July expiration.
XRT - SPDR S&P Retail ETF – Retail stocks may continue to sell off, by the looks of massive stakes taken in XRT put options this morning. Shares in the equal-weighted retail ETF are down 1.5% at $59.45 this afternoon as stocks across the board sink. The two largest trades in XRT options today are in the May $56 put, with a total of 55,000 contracts purchased in two blocks at a premium of $0.35…
Bearish Spread Preps For Fossil Pullback
by Option Review - May 7th, 2012 1:23 pm
Today’s tickers: FOSL, MS & VMED
FOSL - Fossil, Inc. – A sizable bearish spread initiated in watchmaker, Fossil, Inc., this morning suggests it may be the right time to pick up some downside protection on the stock ahead of the Company’s first-quarter earnings report due out Tuesday before the open. Shares in Fossil are currently down 1.15% at $127.71 as of 11:15 am in New York. The ratio put spread could be an outright bearish stance on the stock, or may be a hedge to protect the value of a long position in the underlying. Shares in Fossil are up big time year-to-date, having soared approximately 60.0% in the first four months of the year. Downside protection to lock in some of the stock’s gains may prove a prudent move should a disappointing report on Tuesday morning send shares sharply lower. It looks like one trader purchased 1,125 puts at the May $120 strike for a premium of $3.80 each and sold 2,250 puts at the lower May $105 strike at a premium of $0.90 apiece. Net premium paid to establish the spread amounts to $2.00 per contract, with profits – or downside protection – available in the event that shares drop 7.6% to breach the effective breakeven price of $118.00. Maximum potential profits of $13.00 accrue to the downside if the watchmaker’s shares plunge 17.8% to settle at $105.00 at expiration in less than two weeks. Fossil’s shares last traded below $105.00 back in February.
MS - Morgan Stanley – Selling of weekly call and put options on Morgan Stanley this morning suggests shares in the financial services firm may luff around the $16.00 level through expiration. Shares are currently up 1.0% on the day at $16.16 just before midday in New York. It’s been a…
Disney Options In Play Ahead Of Earnings
by Option Review - May 4th, 2012 2:49 pm
Today’s tickers: DIS, NWL & HAIN
DIS - Walt Disney Co. – Light front-month call buying in Disney this morning suggests some traders may be positioning for shares in the name to rally following the Company’s second-quarter earnings report on Tuesday of next week. Shares in the operator of the Happiest Place on Earth are down 2.0% at $42.92, joining in on the broad market decline on the heels of today’s jobs report. Traders picking up the May $43, $44 and $45 strike calls may see the value of their positions increase prior to expiration should Disney’s earnings beat expectations and send the price of the underlying higher. The most active DIS contracts at present are the Oct. $47 strike calls, with 5,000 lots changing hands in the first half of the session against open interest of 1,178 positions. It looks like most of the calls were sold for a premium of $1.17 each. The trader or traders responsible for the call sale keep the full amount of premium as long as shares in Disney fail to rally above $47.00 by October expiration. Strategists may be long the stock and selling covered calls, however, if these are naked short calls, sellers of the options face unbridled losses above a breakeven share price of $48.17.
NWL - Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. – A large block of call options sold on Newell Rubbermaid launched the consumer products maker onto our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner this morning. The massive trade indicates the seller of the options expects the price of the underlying to remain below $20.00 through June expiration. Shares in NWL are currently down 1.5% on the day at $18.37 as of 11:55 pm in New York. It looks like the trader responsible for the transaction sold 30,000 calls…
Vega Trade On DJX Sees Choppy Markets On The Horizon
by Option Review - May 3rd, 2012 3:18 pm
Today’s tickers: DJX, LNKD & LULU
DJX - 1/100 of the Dow Jones Industrial Average – A massive vega trade initiated in the DJX today sent off ripples across major indices and single-stock names as market makers scrambled to hedge their sales of volatility that occurred due to the trade. The purchase of 30,000 Dec. 2014 $135 calls on the DJX, delta-hedged by a June 2014 $132 collar, is a pure volatility play that makes money if markets grow increasingly choppy going forward. Signs Europe’s crises may be coming to the fore once again could play a role in rising market volatility, which U.S. equities have largely been able to cast aside during the first quarter given positive domestic economic data and strong corporate earnings. The VIX has remained below 25 all year, passing much of its time just above or below the 17-level. For an investor anticipating rough seas up ahead, multi-year lows for the fear index provide an opportunity to lock in vega while it’s relatively cheap rather than wait for Nostradamus’ Armageddon, or more likely, continued turmoil across the pond, to blow volatility through the roof.
LNKD - LinkedIn Corp. – Shares in the social networking site for professionals are up 0.25% this afternoon to stand at $106.65 ahead of the Company’s first-quarter earnings report after the final bell today. Trading traffic in LinkedIn weekly calls suggests some traders are positioning for shares in the name to extend gains following the report. Notable bullish interest is building in the May 04 ’12 $115 strike options where more than 2,000 calls changed hands against open interest of 878 contracts by 12:15 pm in New York. It looks like most of the calls were purchased for an average premium of $3.07 apiece, thus positioning traders to profit…
Bears Crowd Chesapeake Weekly Puts As Shares Slide
by Option Review - May 2nd, 2012 1:48 pm
Today’s tickers: CHK, FLS & CBS
CHK - Chesapeake Energy Corp. – Traders positioning for shares in the second-largest U.S. natural gas driller to potentially drop to lows not seen in years are snapping up weekly put options this morning. The stock is down more than 13.2% at $17.00 as of 11:00 am ET after Chesapeake Energy Corp. reported a surprise loss in the first quarter amid continued concern and uncertainty surrounding actions of the Company’s CEO. Bearish interest is notable in the May 04 ’12 $16 strike puts, with more than 5,100 of those contracts purchased earlier in the session for an average premium of $0.10 apiece. Put buyers may turn a quick profit if shares in Chesapeake decline another 6.5% to breach the breakeven price of $15.90 by expiration. Weekly put buyers acting ahead of the earnings report appear to have done well for themselves, with the May 04 ’12 $19 strike puts purchased around 4,800 times on Tuesday for an average premium of $0.33 apiece. Less than 24 hours later, those same $19 strike put options are six times as expensive, trading at $1.97 per contract on Wednesday morning.
FLS - Flowserve Corp. – Shares in the provider of pump systems and control valves are up sharply on Wednesday morning, trading up 4.0% at $118.06 as of 11:15 am in New York. The stock slipped slightly earlier in the week following the Company’s first-quarter earnings report, but have more than made up for that pullback today. Flowserve appeared on our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner in the first hour of the session after one strategist initiated a sizable put spread in the June expiry. It looks like the trader purchased a 1,500-lot June $95/$105 spread for a net premium of $0.85 apiece. The put…
Good Fortune For Buyers Of Calls Ahead Of P.F. Chang’s/Centerbridge Deal
by Option Review - May 1st, 2012 1:43 pm
Today’s tickers: PFCB, INTC & DPZ
PFCB - P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Inc. – Shares in Asian-themed restaurant operator, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, jumped 30.0% to $51.56 today after Centerbridge Partners LP agreed to take the Scottsdale, Arizona-based Company private in a deal valued at $1.09 billion, or $51.50 per share. The sharp move to the upside in shares of PFCB has some resulted in big gains for some traders sitting on bullish positions in the front month options. A couple of weeks ago the May $45 strike call was purchased more than 2,000 times at a premium of $0.30 apiece. The stock closed April 16th at $39.50 such that buyers of the $45 strike calls required a 15.0% move up in the shares to breakeven above $45.30 by expiration. Instead, shares in P.F. Chang's rallied more than 30.0% since the contracts were purchased, resulting in massive paper profits of $6.20 per contract given the calls currently display a last-traded price of $6.50 each. The trader or traders long the $45 calls are still holding onto the contracts as of 11:45 a.m. in New York. P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Inc. reported first-quarter earnings and revenue slightly below expectations prior to the opening bell this morning.
INTC - Intel Corp. – Bullish positions are building in the weekly options on Intel Corp., with shares in the chip giant up better than 2.0% at $29.02 in the first half of the session, helping to lift the Dow Jones Industrial Average to the highest in four years. Intel's shares traded up to their highest level since 2004 today and it looks like some strategists are positioning for the stock to extend gains this week. Volume in the weekly calls is heaviest at the May 04 '12 $29 strike, where more than…
Unisys Earnings Surprise A Boon For Pre-Report Call Buyers
by Option Review - April 25th, 2012 11:48 am
Today’s tickers: UIS, GPS & MS
UIS - Unisys Corp. – Higher-than-expected first-quarter profits reported by information technology services provider, Unisys Corp., on Tuesday sent shares in the name up sharply to the benefit of some pre-earnings report call buyers. Shares in Unisys, which had declined significantly this year, rose as much as 28.0% in the first half of the session to $20.98. Bullish positions initiated in the front month prior to the earnings release have in some cases more than tripled in value. Of note, the purchase of some 745 May $17 strike call options for a premium of $1.00 on Friday April 20th, are now deep in-the-money and trade at $3.80 apiece. Meanwhile, open interest in the May $18 strike calls suggests close to 300 contracts were picked up for a premium of $0.65 each yesterday afternoon. The spike in shares overnight now sees the $18 calls changing hands at a last-traded price of $2.95 per contract, a roughly 350% increase in premium. Options on Unisys Corp. are far more active than usual overall today with some 5,350 contracts in play this afternoon versus the 90-day average options volume of 506 contracts on the stock. Traders are focusing their efforts in UIS calls, exchanging roughly 3.7 calls for each single put option traded.
GPS - Gap, Inc. – Shares in the apparel and accessories retailer are up 1.6% at $27.63 this morning, just off Friday’s fresh 52-week high of $27.95. The stock has soared in 2012, rising nearly 50.0% year-to-date. But, a large bear put spread initiated in the front month a couple of minutes into the trading day suggests one strategist is prepared should shares slip in the near term. Gap is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings on May 17th after the close. The trader…
IBM Call Buyers Foresee New All-Time Highs Ahead
by Option Review - April 24th, 2012 2:41 pm
Today’s tickers: IBM, BIG & MMM
IBM - International Business Machines Corp. – Bullish options are in play on the world’s largest computer services provider this morning after IBM raised its quarterly dividend to $0.85 a share and increased the size of its stock buyback plan by $7 billion. Shares in the Armonk, New York-based Company are up 1.65% at $201.90 as of 11:05 a.m. ET. Weekly calls with a few trading days remaining to expiration are active, with the April ’27 $205 strike contracts drawing the heaviest volume in the expiry. The $205 calls have changed hands more than 2,300 times in the first half of the session versus 779 open positions, and it looks like most of the volume was purchased for an average premium of $0.26 apiece. Call buyers may profit at expiration as long as shares in IBM rally another 1.7% to surpass the average breakeven price of $205.26. Meanwhile, fresh interest in the June expiry calls suggests some traders are positioning for IBM’s shares to potentially hit fresh record highs in the next couple of months. The June $215 strike calls have traded more than 600 times this morning against open interest of 133 contracts, with much of the volume initiated by buyers paying $0.37 apiece, on average. Investors long the calls stand ready to profit in the event that shares in IBM surge 6.7% to top an average breakeven share price – and new all-time high – of $215.37 by June expiration.
BIG - Big Lots, Inc. – Shares in Big Lots are down big time after the discount retailer of consumer goods lowered its first-quarter sales forecast. The Columbus, Ohio-based Company’s shares are down more than 20.0% today to stand at $36.40 on the sales guidance and a slew of analyst…
Options Point To Further Upside For Beer Brewer Ambev
by Option Review - April 23rd, 2012 4:27 pm
Today’s tickers: ABV, SYY & RDEA
ABV - Ambev – Stocks across the board are selling off today on renewed European concerns and disappointing data points out of China and Europe, but the pullback appears not to have deterred some optimism in options on the world’s fourth-largest brewer, Ambev. The sizable options play on ABV, which is majority-owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, suggests the strategist is positioning for shares in the name to hit new all-time highs by May expiration. The transaction this morning looks nearly identical to a spread initiated on Ambev on Friday afternoon when the stock touched a record high of $44.63. Shares in the distributor of Stella Artois and Beck’s in Latin America are down 2.6% this afternoon to stand at $43.04 as of 12:25 p.m. in New York. The options trades established this morning and on Friday reduce the cost of upside exposure to the stock ahead of the brewer’s first-quarter earnings report next week. The transaction this morning involved the sale of 3,000 puts at the May $39 strike against the purchase of the same number of calls at the May $48 strike for a net credit of $0.10 apiece. Friday’s trade, the sale of 3,000 May $40 strike put options against the purchase of 3,000 May $48 strike calls, was initiated at zero cost to the trader. The investor responsible for the trade this morning keeps the full $0.10 net credit as long as shares exceed $39.00 through expiration while additional profits are available to the upside should the stock surge 11.5% to top $48.00.
SYY - Sysco Corp. – Food distributor, Sysco Corp., popped up on our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner this morning after a large number of put options were purchased in the front month. The influx of…
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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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