Options Traders Bulk Up On XLF Puts
by Option Review - February 26th, 2013 1:56 pm
Today’s tickers: XLF, VSI & CBRL
XLF - Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund – Shares in seven of the ten largest XLF holdings were trading lower this morning, dragging shares in the ETF down 0.40% to $17.19 at around 11:25 a.m. ET on Tuesday. Put buying on the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund during the morning hours of the trading day suggested some options players were preparing for the price of the underlying fund to extend losses. It looks like traders purchased 75,000 puts at the June $16 strike for an average premium of $0.35 per contract. These positions start making money if shares in the XLF decline 9.0% from the current level to breach the average breakeven point on the downside at $15.65 by June expiration. Shares in the XLF last traded below $15.65 on December 4th. The price of the underlying is up roughly 5.0% year-to-date, and has gained nearly 30% since June of 2012.
VSI - Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. – Options on the specialty retailer of vitamins and nutritional supplements are more active than usual today, with shares in Vitamin Shoppe down sharply on the heels of the company’s fourth-quarter earnings report ahead of the opening bell this morning. Shares in VSI are currently down more than 20% to stand at $50.33 as of 11:50 a.m. in New York. Buyers of in-the-money put options on the stock earlier in the trading session are seeing the value of their contracts rise as shares in the name continue to weaken. At around 9:45 a.m. ET, traders stepped in to purchase around 400 in-the-money puts at the April $55 strike for a premium of $4.20 per contract. Premium required to purchase the $55 strike put options, as of the time of this writing, has increased to $5.50 apiece just before midday on the East Coast. Traders long the puts at $4.20 per contract stand ready to profit at April expiration should shares in Vitamin Shoppe settle below the breakeven price of $50.80.…
Puts Active On JEF Ahead Of Earnings; CBRL, ANN Options See Further Upside
by Option Review - September 19th, 2012 2:05 pm
Today’s tickers: JEF, ANN & CBRL
JEF - Jefferies Group, Inc. – Put options are active on Jefferies today ahead of the company’s third-quarter earnings report prior to the opening bell on Thursday. Shares in the global securities and investment banking firm are currently hovering near their session low, down 1.6% to stand at $15.46 as of 12:20 p.m. ET. Jefferies popped up on our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner this morning after at least one options player initiated a sizable near-term bearish stance on the stock. It looks like traders exchanged more than 5,400 puts at the Sep. $15 strike against previously existing open interest of 967 contracts. Most of the puts in play appear to have been purchased at a premium of $0.15 apiece, perhaps as some strategists prepare for the price of the underlying to extend losses this week. Traders may be taking an outright bearish stance on the stock, or could be securing downside protection to hedge a long position in JEF shares. Profits, or downside protection, kick in if shares in the financial services firm decline 4% from the current level to breach the breakeven price of $14.85 at expiration. Shares in Jefferies, which hit a six-month low of $11.59 in July, have since gained more than 30% to trade at their highest since the first week in May.
ANN - Ann, Inc.– Upside calls on women’s apparel and accessories retailer, Ann, Inc., attracted buyers positioning for shares in the name to rally through the end of the trading week. Interestingly, shares in ANN started the session flat-to-slightly negative on Wednesday before turning positive and rallying sharply. The move in the price of the underlying was accompanied by heavy front-month call buying. The stock is now up better than 2.4% on the session to stand at $38.40 as of 12:45 p.m. in New York. The bulk of the trading traffic in ANN options this morning is in the Sep.…
Put Sellers Target Dollar General Corp.
by Option Review - November 22nd, 2010 4:14 pm
Today’s tickers: DG, CBRL, M, TSN, NFLX & FUQI
DG - Dollar General Corp. – Shares in Dollar General Corp. rallied as much as 4.1% this afternoon to touch an intraday- and new 52-week high of $32.23 after fellow discount retailer, Dollar Tree, reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings this morning. Dollar General appeared on our scanners after bullish players sold out-of-the-money put options in the December contract. Put sellers are suggesting shares in DG are likely to trade above $30.00 through expiration day next month. Dollar General reports third-quarter earnings ahead of the opening bell on December 9, 2010. Options traders sold more than 14,200 puts at the December $30 strike to pocket an average premium of $0.18 per contract. Put sellers keep the full premium received on the transaction as long as DG’s shares exceed $30.00 through December expiration. More than 16,000 put options changed hands at the December $30 strike versus paltry previously existing open interest of just 7 contracts at that strike. Overall options volume of 16,535 contracts generated on Dollar General today is far greater than total existing open interest on the stock of 10,451 lots before today. Options implied volatility on Dollar General is down 8.5% to arrive at 23.88% in late afternoon trading.
CBRL - Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. – Near-term call options are in demand on the operator of retail and restaurant concept chain, Cracker Barrel, this afternoon. Shares in Cracker Barrel jumped 3.00% to $57.77, a new 52-week high for the stock, by 3:45 pm in New York. It looks like call buyers populating CBRL today expect shares to extend gains following the firm’s first-quarter earnings report before the opening bell tomorrow. Bulls scooped up roughly 1,100 calls at the December $60 strike for an average premium of $0.735 per contract. Investors…
Appetite for Options on YUM! Brands, Inc. Grows Ahead of Earnings
by Option Review - July 12th, 2010 4:44 pm
Today’s tickers: YUM, INTC, CBRL, CASY, RMD, PG & STEC
YUM – YUM! Brands, Inc. – Traders are placing bullish and bearish bets on the operator of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell ahead of the firm’s second-quarter earnings report slated for release after the closing bell on Tuesday afternoon. YUM’s shares are up 0.97% to stand at $40.66 with 35 minutes remaining in the trading day. The overall reading of options implied volatility jumped 21.8% to 33.38% this afternoon as investors anxiously await the firm’s earnings for the second quarter. Some investors are preparing for a rally following earnings and ahead of July expiration. These optimistic individuals picked up at least 1,300 now in-the-money calls at the July $40 strike for an average premium of $1.13 apiece. Investors long the calls make money if YUM’s shares increase 1.15% to trade above the effective breakeven price of $41.13 by expiration on Friday. Bullish sentiment spread to the higher July $41 strike where 1,000 calls were purchased at an average premium of $0.57 a-pop. Traders long the higher-strike call options stand ready to accrue profits should YUM! Brands’ shares rally 2.2% to surpass the average breakeven price of $41.57 by expiration day. In contrast to the bullish behavior observed, pessimistic players purchased put options on the stock to position for disappointing second-quarter earnings from the firm. Bears bought approximately 4,900 puts at the July $40 strike for an average premium of $0.95 per contract. Put buyers make money if YUM’s shares decline 3.95% from the current price of $40.66 to breach the average breakeven point to the downside at $39.05 by July expiration.
INTC – Intel Corp. – Options investors are hard at work populating the chip maker with various trading strategies ahead of Intel’s second-quarter earnings report scheduled for release after the closing bell tomorrow. Thus far in the session more than 144,700 option contracts have changed hands on INTC with investors exchanging 2 call options on the stock for each single put option in play today. The semiconductor manufacturer’s shares are currently up 1.40% to stand at $20.53 as of 3:10 pm (ET). One options trader expecting Intel’s shares to remain range-bound through expiration in January 2012 opted to sell a strangle in the first half of the trading session. It looks like the investor sold 5,000 calls at the January 2012 $25 strike for a premium of $1.54…