Investor Removes Comcast Strangle to Bank Profits

by Andrew Wilkinson - February 19th, 2010 4:33 pm

Today’s tickers: CMCSA, HSY, GLD, ORCL, XRT, ERTS, FXI, PFE, SII & JCP

CMCSA - Comcast Corp. – A large-volume short strangle established at the beginning of the month on the entertainment and communications services firm was unraveled today, yielding one investor a nice chunk of change heading into the weekend. Comcast’s shares are up 1% to $15.89 in afternoon trading. It appears the trader originally sold roughly 35,000 calls at the July $17 strike for a volume-weighted average premium of $0.74 apiece in combination with the sale of 35,000 puts at the July $14 strike for a premium of $0.74 each. The original transaction likely occurred on February 4, 2010, and yielded a gross premium of $1.48 per contract to the trader. Today the investor purchased-to-close the short strangle, buying back the calls at a reduced premium of $0.60 each, and buying the put options for $0.56 apiece. The trader paid a gross premium of $1.16 to close out the short stance. Therefore, the investor walks away with net profits of $0.32 per contract for a grand total of $1.120 million. It is important to note, however, that the trader left a great deal of money sitting on the table. Comcast’s shares are still trading within the boundaries of the $14/$17 strike prices required for maximum profit potential. The investor would have accumulated profits of $1.48 per contract – a total of $5.180 million – if CMCSA shares remained range-bound and if the trader held the position through expiration. Perhaps this individual unraveled the strangle in anticipation of greater volatility in the price of the underlying stock going forward.

HSY - The Hershey Company – Bullish investors satisfied sugar cravings this afternoon by devouring Hershey call options. Shares of the chocolatier rallied 2.70% to $39.88 today. Option traders picked up 1,600 calls at the March $41 strike for a premium of $0.47 apiece. The higher March $42.5 strike attracted greater volume with more than 5,300 calls purchased for a premium of $0.23 per contract. Higher-strike call buyers are positioned to accumulate profits if Hershey’s share price exceeds its current 52-week high of $42.25, attained back on July 23, 2009, by expiration next month. These optimistic individuals profit if shares increase 7.15% from the current price to surpass the effective breakeven point on the calls at $42.73.

GLD - SPDR Gold Trust ETF – Shares of the gold exchange-traded fund, which mirrors the price of gold…

Tags: CMCSA, ERTS, FXI, GLD, HSY, JCP, ORCL, PFE, SII, XRT

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Capital One Bears Out in Full Force in Options Land

by Andrew Wilkinson - January 22nd, 2010 4:29 pm

Today’s tickers: COF, CAT, XRT, XLY, XLB, XLF, KRE, BRK.B, MCD & ISRG

COF – Capital One Financial Corp. – Better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings of $0.83 per share, which blew straight past average analyst estimates of $0.45 a share, failed to shield the stock from the massive beating received during the trading session. Shares plummeted 11% to an intraday low of $38.18 after analysts at FBR Capital Markets slashed their forecast for COF’s earnings. FBR analysts cited “shrinking margins and new U.S. credit-card regulations” as reasons for the reducing earnings estimates according to one Bloomberg article released this morning. Bearish option traders are out in full force, populating both the call and put sides of the stock with pessimistic transactions. Investors purchased put options as low as the February $35 strike where 1,200 contracts were picked up for an average premium of $0.57 apiece. Traders long the puts are perhaps bracing for an additional 9.80% shift down in the price of the underlying to the breakeven point on the puts at $34.43 by expiration next month. Approximately 2,000 nearly in-the-money puts were purchased at the higher February $38 strike price at an average premium of $1.46 apiece. Call selling added to the bearish picture as some 2,100 contracts were shed at the out-of-the-money February $40 strike for a premium of $1.43 per contract. Finally, one trader initiated a pessimistic stance in the January 2012 contract. Perhaps this investor believes today’s turmoil is just the beginning of Capital One’s troubles, or, alternatively, the trader may simply be looking to keep the dollar credit on the following transaction. The trader purchased 1,500 puts at the January 2012 $30 strike for a premium of $4.36 each, spread against the sale of 3,000 puts at the lower January 2012 $25 strike for which he received $2.68 apiece. The investor pockets a net credit of $1.00 per contract on the spread, which he keeps if shares settle above $30.00 by expiration.

CAT – Caterpillar, Inc. – Surprisingly bullish trades befell machinery maker Caterpillar today. CAT’s shares commenced the trading day with higher shares, but slipped lower during the session, and currently reside 1.35% lower on the day at $56.09. Investors expecting shares to recover by expiration in March shed 5,000 in-the-money put options at the March $57.5 strike for an average premium of $3.76 apiece. Open interest at that strike of 5,169 lots suggests this transaction could be a closing…

Tags: BRK.B, CAT, COF, ISRG, KRE, MCD, XLB, XLF, XLY, XRT

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Bank of America Bearish Option Position Closed – Shares Rally

by Andrew Wilkinson - November 5th, 2009 4:33 pm

Today’s tickers: BAC, MCD, ADM, XRT, CVS, STT, PFE, CVS, FSYS & AEO

BAC - Bank of America Corp. – One investor banked profits today by unraveling a massive bearish credit spread established back on October 28, 2009. The trader’s decision to take profits ahead of expiration could be a bullish sign for BAC. Shares are trading up 2% near the end of the trading day to stand at $15.00. The investor originally sold approximately 130,000 calls at the November 16 strike for an average premium of 49 cents apiece, spread against the purchase of the same number of calls at the higher November 17.5 strike for 15 cents each. The trader received a net credit of 34 cents per contract on the transaction. Today, the investor left money on the table by closing out ahead of expiration. It appears he sold the upper strike calls for 4 pennies and bought back the lower strike calls for 19 cents apiece. Net profits received for unraveling the spread amount to 19 cents per contract for a total of $2.47 million. One might interpret such a decision as a bullish signal for BAC because the trader decided to walk away with 19 cents – half of the maximum profit potential of 34 cents. The investor would only have been able to retain the full 34 cents if shares traded beneath $16.00 through expiration day in November.

MCD - McDonald’s Corp. – A bullish risk reversal in the January 2010 contract significantly reduced the price paid by one investor establishing an optimistic stance on the fast-food chain. Shares of MCD are trading 1.5% higher today to $61.20 despite yesterday’s downgrade to ‘hold’ by analysts at EVA Dimensions. The investor sold 13,000 put options at the January 60 strike for an average premium of 1.91 apiece to partially offset the cost of purchasing 13,000 in-the-money calls at the same strike for 2.51 each. The net cost of the reversal amounts to 60 cents per contract.

ADM - Archer Daniels Midland Co. – Food products company, Archer Daniels Midland, jumped onto our ‘most active by options volume’ market scanner this afternoon due to bullish activity in the March 2010 contract. Shares edged 0.5% higher to $32.37 during the trading session after the firm revealed better-than-expected first-quarter profits of 77 cents per share. One investor sold out-of-the-money put options to partially finance the purchase of a bull call spread. The call spread…

Tags: ADM, AEO, BAC, CVS, FSYS, MCD, PFE, STT, XRT

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Retail Reversal Combination Grabs Attention on XRT

by Andrew Wilkinson - November 4th, 2009 4:11 pm

Today’s tickers: XRT, MGM, DE, GLD, UUP, NWL, HNZ, EWZ, UNH, OSTK & STEC

XRT - SPDR S&P Retail ETF – A three-legged transaction in the December contract on the retail exchange-traded fund reveals bearish sentiment by one investor. Shares of the XRT are trading nearly 1% higher today to $34.60. It looks like the trader sold call options in order to offset the cost of buying a put spread. The put spread involved the purchase of 5,000 puts at the December 33 strike for a premium of 1.07 apiece, marked against the sale off 5,000 puts at the lower December 30 strike for approximately 37 cents each. The sale of 5,000 calls at the higher December 36 strike knocked another 87 cents per contract off the total price of the bearish play. The investor more than offset the cost of buying the spread and thus receives a net credit of 17 cents per contract. The full credit is retained by the trader as long as shares of the XRT remain below $36.00 through expiration. Additional profits may accumulate if shares dip below $33.00, while maximum potential gains of 3.00 per contract require that shares trade down to $30.00.

MGM - MGM Mirage, Inc. – Shares of the casino resort operator slipped 2.5% lower to $9.40 today but one options optimist initiated a bullish play on the stock in the March 2010 contract. It appears the trader put on a ratio call spread by buying one in-the-money call option for every three out-of-the-money calls sold. The investor purchased 10,000 calls at the deep in-the-money March 7.0 strike for 3.20 apiece and simultaneously sold 30,000 calls at the higher March 12 strike for 1.05 each. The net cost of the transaction is reduced to just one nickel per contract. The investor probably does not expect shares to rally through $12.00 by expiration because he is short 20,000 calls at that strike price in the March contract. Shares of MGM last traded above $12.00 on October 14, 2009.

DE - Deere & Co. – A large bearish butterfly spread appeared in the March 2010 contract on the agricultural equipment maker. The transaction indicates one investor is positioning for significant declines in the price of DE shares by expiration. Shares are down 1% to $46.76 with just under 90 minutes remaining in the trading day. The investor purchased the upper wing of the spread at the March 40 strike…

Tags: DE, EWZ, GLD, HNZ, MGM, NWL, OSTK, STEC, UNH, UUP, XRT

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Brazilian Stocks Capture Option Traders’ Imagination

by Andrew Wilkinson - October 15th, 2009 2:25 am

Today’s tickers: VALE, EWZ, NYX, PFE, HOG, XRT, S & ROVI

VALE - Vale S.A. – Rio de Janeiro-based mining company, Vale S.A., experienced a 6.25% surge in shares today to $26.57. Perhaps the jump in shares is due to unconfirmed news the company plans to invest $5.8 billion to expand projects in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. In options-land one investor took a bullish stance by selling puts to buy calls. It appears the risk reversal involved the sale of 4,000 puts at the November 23 strike for 45 cents apiece, spread against the purchase of 4,000 calls at the higher November 28 strike for 38 cents premium each. The investor receives a net credit of 7 pennies per contract on the trade. He will retain the full credit as long as shares of VALE remain higher than $23.00 through expiration day. To add to profits shares must climb 5% higher to surpass the breakeven price of $28.00.

EWZ - iShares MSCI Brazil Index ETF – Bullish call action in the March contract today certainly jives with the 3.25% rally in shares of the exchange-traded fund to $75.18. An investor hoping for further upward movement in the price of EWZ shares enacted a call spread. The trader bought 2,500 calls at the now in-the-money March 73 strike for an average premium of 7.00 each, and simultaneously sold 2,500 calls at the higher March 78 strike for 4.54 apiece. The net cost of the bullish play amounts to 2.46 per contract. Thus, the investor stands to accumulate maximum potential profits of 2.54 if shares rise to $78.00 by expiration in March. Profits start to accumulate if shares break through $75.46, which is just 28 cents above the current price per share. But, the stock must climb 4% to $78.00 for the investor to revel in maximum available profits of $635,000.

NYX - NYSE Euronext, Inc. – Bullish call buying this afternoon pushed New York Stock Exchange operator, NYSE Euronext, onto our ‘most active by options volume’ market scanner. Shares of NYX are currently trading 5% higher to stand at $29.81. Investors expecting continued upward movement in the stock scooped up call options in the November contract. The November 30 strike had 2,100 calls purchased for an average premium of 1.13 each, while the November 31 strike had 1,200 calls coveted for 82 cents premium apiece. Finally, super-bullish traders looked to the higher November 33…

Tags: EWZ, HOG, NYX, PFE, ROVI, S, VALE, XRT

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Bears in the Butterfly Garden

by Andrew Wilkinson - July 8th, 2009 5:05 pm

Today’s tickers: MS, EXPE, FCX, VIX, XRT, GPS, XLP & WFC

MS – A massive, albeit lopsided, butterfly spread was established on MS today amid a more than 3.5% decline in shares to $25.19. The highly bearish play was initiated by an individual who expects to profit from significant declines in the price of the underlying by expiration in October. The butterfly spread defied typical parameters seen in the strategy. The body of the spread involved the sale of 20,000 puts at the October 21 strike price for 1.45 apiece. But, the lower wing, which would typically have half as many contracts as the body, also had 20,000 puts which were purchased for 79 cents each. Finally, the conventional upper wing at the October 25 strike had 10,000 puts bought for 3.19 per contract. The bottom-heavy wing with twice as many puts as the upper wing suggests that the trader is prepared for shares to slip beneath $18.00 by expiration. If shares slipped beneath the lower strike price, the trader, who is still net long 10,000 put options, would see the value of the puts appreciate. Perhaps this investor is banking on a renewal of financial calamities by the fall. – Morgan Stanley

EXPE – Bearish sentiment on the online travel company was apparent after one trader spawned a butterfly in the October contract. This individual probably doubts that the demand for travel and vacation accommodations is heading anywhere but south given rising unemployment statistics. Shares of EXPE have slipped along with the broader market today by 1.5% to $13.59. The butterfly spread was initiated through the sale of 22,000 puts at the October 10 strike price for a premium of 47 cents apiece. The body was flanked by the purchase of two wings. The higher October 15 strike had 11,000 puts purchased for 2.56 per contract and the lower October 7.5 strike also had 11,000 puts picked up for 18 cents apiece. We would like to point out that unlike traditional butterfly spreads, which have equidistant strikes, this butterfly was born with lopsided wings as the lower strike is just 2.5 below the central exercise price rather than 5 points. The investor has realized a net cost of 1.80 and will begin to amass profits beneath the breakeven point at $13.20. Maximum potential profits of 3.20 would be attained if shares of EXPE drop to $10.00 by expiration in the fall. The…

Tags: EXPE, FCX, GPS, MS, VIX, WFC, XLP, XRT

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Retail ETF Sees Large Protective Ratio Put Play

by Andrew Wilkinson - June 1st, 2009 5:16 pm

Today’s tickers: XRT, CSX, POT, MON, LO & DRYS

XRT– Shares of the retail ETF have lifted higher by more than 6% to $29.19 today despite the decline in U.S. consumer spending for the second month in a row. Spending continues to suffer in the face of rising unemployment and increased efforts to save by consumers still raw from the record wealth destruction experienced in the recession. We observed one investor populate the XRT with a ratio put spread likely employed to lock into gains enjoyed on the recent rally and to establish protection from potential downward movement in shares through September’s expiration. The ratio spread involved the purchase of 25,000 puts at the September 25 strike price for a premium of 1.17 apiece which were spread against the sale of 50,000 puts at the lower September 20 strike for about 35 cents per contract. The net cost of the transaction amounts to 82 cents and yields maximum potential profits of 4.18 if shares were to edge down to $20.00 by expiration. – SPDR Retail ETF

CSX– The rail-based transportation supplier has experienced a share price rally of more than 6.5% to $33.94 in today’s trading session, attracting a plethora of option traders to the station. Near-term investors locked into recent gains by getting long of put options some 3,000 times at the June 33 strike price for 1.19 each. The higher and now in-the-money June 34 strike price saw 1,200 puts bought for 1.51 apiece. Bullish options sentiment spread to the July 35 strike price where 3,900 calls were scooped up for an average premium of 2.10 each. Call buyers at the July 35 strike are looking for shares of CSX to climb another 9% through the breakeven point at $37.10 in order to garner profits by expiration. Optimism for continued bullish movement in the stock spread to the November contract where it appears one trader has enacted a butterfly spread. The purchase of 6,000 calls at the November 40 strike price for 2.10 apiece [body] was offset by the sale of 3,000 calls at the November 35 strike for 3.80 each [wing 1] and by the sale of 3,000 calls at the higher November 45 strike price for 1.00 per contract [wing 2]. The trader receives a 60 cent credit for the transaction (1*3.80 + 1*1.00 – 2*2.10 = 0.60 cents). The investor would retain the net premium so long…

Tags: CSX, DRYS, LO, MON, POT, XRT

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Penn Gaming joins casino-movers – put options in action

by Andrew Wilkinson - May 26th, 2009 5:59 pm

Today’s tickers: PENN, CIT, EXPE, RF, XRT, FITB, UNH, UNG & MU

PENN – Shares of the gaming and racing company have lifted 8% to $30.79 amid gains experienced by a number of casino operators today. PENN edged onto our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner after one investor initiated a put spread in the October contract. The spread was established through the purchase of 6,550 puts at the October 25 strike price for 2.02 each against the sale of 6,550 puts at the lower October 20 strike for a premium of 79 cents. The net cost of the transaction amounts to 1.23 and yields a maximum potential profit of 3.77 if shares declined to $20.00 by expiration. Such a trade could represent downside protection by an individual who is long the stock. Or, it could potentially represent a medium-term bearish position by a trader hoping to profit in the event of a 22% decline in shares through the breakeven point at $23.77 by expiration. – Penn National Gaming, Inc.

CIT – The bank holding company’s shares have rallied nearly 7% to $3.38 today, attracting some bullish option players seeking to benefit from further gains in the stock. Call-volume at the near-term June 5.0 strike price ballooned upward by more than 48,000 as investors purchased at least 37,200 contracts for an average premium of 23 cents each. The calls will begin to yield profits to investors if the underlying shares can increase 55% from the current price and surpass the breakeven point at $5.23 by expiration. Optimism spread to the July 5.0 strike where 5,500 calls were coveted for 40 cents apiece. Finally, the October 5.0 strike attracted some bullish action as well as some 2,000 calls appear to have been bought for 65 cents per contract. Option implied volatility climbed as high as 192% during the trading day up from Friday’s closing value of 151%. – CIT Group, Inc.

EXPE– Shares of the online travel company have climbed more than 6% to $15.88 amid renewed takeover chatter reported by one source. Option traders on EXPE have braced themselves for bullish movement in the stock as some 2,300 calls were purchased at the near-term June 17.5 strike price for an average premium of 35 cents per contract. In order to profit from a long-call position by expiration shares of Expedia must double today’s rally in order to breach the breakeven point at $17.85. Approximately…

Tags: CIT, EXPE, FITB, MU, PENN, RF, UNG, UNH, XRT

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Option trader predicts natural gas set to rally into next heating season

by Andrew Wilkinson - May 15th, 2009 6:08 am

Today’s tickers: UNG, HIG, XLF, XRT, CLF, WFMI & VRTX

UNG– Shares of the natural gas fund have rallied by more than 1% to stand at $16.66. We observed some bullish call buying on the ETF by one investor looking for natural gas prices to heat up as we head into the beginning of ‘heating season’ in October. It appears that this individual looked to the October 20 strike price and purchased 26,000 calls for an average premium of 1.45 apiece. The 31,000 call options traded at the October 20 strike today is more than five times the existing open interest at the strike of just 6,834 lots. With a breakeven point of $21.45 on the trade, the investor is hoping to see shares of UNG rally by a minimum of 29% from the current price so he may begin to garner profits to the upside. – United States Natural Gas ETF

HIG– Investors in the insurance and financial services firm have witnessed HIG’s shares surge more than 21% today to the current price of $15.23. While a mass of more than 120,000 option contracts exchanged hands on the stock throughout the trading day, our attention was drawn to a couple of bullish plays. Traders who expect the stock to retain gains into next month looked to the June 16 strike price and purchased some 4,000 calls for an average premium of 1.20 each. Investors will breakeven at a price of $17.20 by expiration. Uber-bullishness was observed at the September 25 strike where about 4,400 calls appear to have been purchased for a premium of 91 cents per contract. These call-buyers have thrown a Hail Mary pass today, but they will have to wait to see whether it will be received in the end zone or whether it will fall short by expiration. To profit from the long-call position, shares will need to rally with a vengeance by about 70% through the breakeven point at $25.91. Option implied volatility has climbed throughout the week from 112% on Monday to the current reading of 144%. – Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.

XLF– The financials ETF, a daily presence on our ‘most active by options volume’ market scanner, has enjoyed a more than 3.5% rally to $11.80 amid broad gains enjoyed by financial firms today. While more than 250,000 option contracts were traded on the fund, we focused in on one trade in particular…

Tags: CLF, HIG, UNG, VRTX, WFMI, XLF, XRT

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Beazer Homes bounces on sales data, inspiring covered calls

by Andrew Wilkinson - April 24th, 2009 4:07 pm

Today’s tickers: BZH, AG, TSN, XLF, XRT & JNPR

BZH Beazer Homes USA, Inc. – The builder of single-family homes across the United States has experienced an enormous share price rally of more than 21.5% to $2.14 following today’s upbeat new home sales data. BZH jumped onto our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner after one investor established what appears to be a covered call in the June contract. The covered call was initiated by buying shares of the underlying stock and selling 10,000 calls at the June 5.0 strike price for a premium of 17 cents apiece. This investor receives the premium on the sale of the options as well as positions an exit strategy at the June 5.0 strike by maintaining a short position on the calls. If shares can rally through $5.00 come June, the shares will likely be called away from him at expiration. Should this come to fruition, he will have enjoyed gains of 134% on the stock from the current price of $2.14 in addition to the 17 cent premium.

AG AGCO Corporation – Shares of the manufacturer of agricultural equipment have skyrocketed by more than 10% to $26.00 ahead of its earnings release expected on Tuesday, April 28th. One news source has reported unconfirmed takeover speculation surrounding the company perhaps leading option traders to position themselves for a continued near-term price rally. The more than 16,000 lots that have exchanged hands on AGCO thus far today represent 70% of the existing open interest on the stock of 23,000 contracts. Furthermore, we have observed that nearly 12 call options have been traded to each single put option in action. At the now in-the-money May 25 strike price investors picked up 1,300 calls for an average premium of 1.71 apiece. More optimistic individuals targeted the May 30 strike price where more than 6,300 calls were purchased for 53 cents per contract. In order for the May 30 strike call to land in-the-money by expiration, shares would need to continue to rise by an additional 15% from the current share price. Option implied volatility is up slightly on the day from 71% to the current reading of 74%.

TSN Tyson Foods, Inc. – The processor and marketer of chicken, beef and pork products has attracted bullish investors to the pigpen amid a share price rally of about 1% to $11.15 today. Tyson’s shares have been on the rise since touching down…

Tags: AG, BZH, JNPR, TSN, XLF, XRT

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