Recovery Play Initiated In Leap Wireless LEAPs As Shares Extend Losses
by Option Review - August 7th, 2012 1:48 pm
Today’s tickers: LEAP, TUMI & FOSL
LEAP - Leap Wireless International, Inc. – The wireless carrier’s shares have been hard-hit in recent months, down more than 50% off the 2012 high of $11.29 as of the close of trading on Monday. The stock plunged another 22% this morning to touch down at a new 52-week low of $4.28 after the company reported a wider-than-expected second-quarter loss and revealed net subscriber losses of around 289,000 customers. Options on Leap Wireless International are more active than usual today, and it looks like one strategist is positioning to benefit from a recovery in the shares over the long term. Speculation the company may be a takeover target for one of the larger carriers has sparked sharp rallies in Leap’s shares in the past; perhaps the bull call spread initiated in the January 2014 expiry this morning is preparing to benefit from a potential repeat performance in the future. Regardless of the impetus for the position, the parameters appear to be as follows. The trader purchased a roughly 2,500-lot Jan. 2014 $5.0/$10 call spread at an average net premium of $1.10 per contract. Profits are available on the trade in the event LEAP shares surge 40% to top the average breakeven price of $6.10 at expiration. The maximum payoff on the position amounts to $3.90 per contract should the stock more than double to settle above $10.00 by expiration in January 2014.
TUMI - Tumi Holdings, Inc. – Shares in the provider of premium travel products and luggage jumped more than 22% today to $22.74 after the company posted better-than-expected earnings and sales for the second quarter. Pre-earnings bullish bets, including a block of 2,692 Aug. $20 call options purchased for a premium of $0.65 each yesterday morning, have roughly tripled in value overnight given the current premium on the $20 calls of $2.35 as of midday in New York. The stock still trades at a 14% discount to…
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Sizeable Combination Trade in Regions Financial
by Option Review - October 1st, 2009 4:31 pm
Today’s tickers: RF, GNW, EEM, RHT, MRVL, CMCSA & LEAP
RF - Banking services firm, Regions Financial, jumped onto our ‘most active by options volume’ market scanner this afternoon after one investor exchanged 120,000 option contracts on the stock. The investor made bullish moves on RF despite the more than 3.5% decline in shares to $5.97. It appears the trader sold puts short 40,000 times at the May 6.0 strike for an average premium of 1.30 apiece, in order to finance the purchase of a bull call spread. The investor constructed the spread by buying 40,000 calls at the January 6.0 strike for one dollar each and simultaneously selling 40,000 calls at the higher January 10 strike for 12 pennies apiece. The trader receives a net credit of 42 cents per contract on the three-legged strategy. He retains the full credit of $1,680,000 as long as shares remain higher than $6.00 through expiration in May of 2010. However, additional profits are available if shares of Regions Financial rally by expiration in January. Maximum potential profits on the call spread amount to 4.0 per contract – or a total of $16,000,000 – if shares of RF surge 68% from the current price to $10.00 before the calls expire in January. – Regions Financial Corp. –
GNW - The financial security company experienced a more than 5.5% decline in shares to arrive at the current price of $11.28. Bearish investors active on GNW today exchanged more than 3.5 put options to every single call option in play on the stock. One investor took a long-term pessimistic stance by initiating a ratio calendar spread. The transaction involved the purchase of 10,000 puts at the December 10 strike for an average premium of 1.22 per contract, spread against the sale of 15,000 puts at the lower January 2011 7.5 strike for 1.70 each. The investor takes a credit on the trade because he received richer option premium on the sale of a greater number of puts set to expire in January 2011. The placement of this trade suggests the investor is bracing for potential declines in GNW through expiration in December. – Genworth Financial, Inc. –
EEM - Shares of the emerging markets exchange-traded fund have dipped 2.5% lower to $37.90, prompting one trader to establish a bearish risk reversal in the January contract. The trader targeted the January 38 strike to sell 12,000 just out-of-the-money…
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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...
Ilene is editor and affiliate program
coordinator for PSW.
