Heavy Volume In Intel Options As Shares Rally To Highest Since August
by Option Review - June 3rd, 2013 4:18 pm
Heavy volume in Intel options as shares rally to highest since August
Today’s tickers: INTC, LRCX & IRM
INTC - Intel Corp. – Shares in Intel Corp. are bucking the trend on Monday, up better than 4.0% at $25.27 as of midday in New York amid a weak start to the trading week for U.S. equities. The chipmaker was raised to ‘Outperform’ from ‘Market Perform’ with a target share price of $28.00 from $23.00 at FBR Capital today. Bullish trades initiated on Intel on Friday are generating gains for some strategists today, with premium on weekly calls up sharply with the move in the price of the underlying stock. It looks like more than 7,000 of the Jun 07 ’13 $25 strike calls were purchased on Friday for an average premium of $0.11 each. Today, these contracts are changing hands for $0.41 each, a near four-fold increase over the weekend. Traders positioning for the stock to extend gains this week snapped up around 1,000 calls at the Jun 07 ’13 $26 strike for an average premium of $0.06 apiece. The bullish bet makes money at expiration as long as shares in INTC rally another 3.1% to exceed the average breakeven price of $26.06. Shares in Intel are up roughly 20% since the start of 2013.
LRCX - Lam Research Corp. – Bullish options are changing hands on Lam Research Corp. today, with shares in the name trading up as much as 5.0% to a new two-year high of $49.13 after analysts at Needham reiterated a ‘Buy’ rating on the stock and raised their price target to $60.00 from $53.00. Traders placing bullish bets on LRCX looked to the front month calls, buying roughly 1,000 of
Lam Research Options Draw Optimistic Crowd
by Option Review - February 23rd, 2010 5:24 pm
Today’s tickers: LRCX, AZN, BRCD, F, MTG, RSH & FL
LRCX – Lam Research Corp. – Contrarian option players initiated bullish trades on Lam Research Corporation today even though shares are trading 7% lower to $32.79. Investors sold nearly 5,000 in-the-money put options at the March $35 strike for an average premium of $1.71 apiece. Put-sellers are perhaps positioning for a rebound in the price of the underlying stock ahead of expiration next month. Traders keep the $1.71 premium per contract on the sale only if LRCX’s shares rally above $35.00 by expiration day. Short-put sellers receive the premium in exchange for bearing the risk that the puts land in-the-money at expiration and shares of the underlying stock are put to them at an effective price of $33.29 apiece. Optimism spread to the April $35 strike where 1,000 calls were picked up for an average premium of $1.15 apiece. Lam Research’s shares must jump 10.25% from the current value before call-buyers start to accumulate profits above the breakeven share price of $36.15. The increase in demand for options on LRCX today boosted options implied volatility on the stock about 11.1% to 37.54%.
AZN – AstraZeneca PLC – A bearish risk reversal was initiated on pharmaceuticals firm, AstraZeneca, today despite news the firm is raising its 2010 earnings outlook to $5.90-$6.30 per share up from $5.75-$6.15 per share. AstraZeneca improved its 2010 outlook after revealing plans to pay $783 million to settle a tax dispute with United Kingdom regulators. Shares were up earlier in the session, but are currently trading lower by less than 0.10% to $43.51. The pessimistic play involved the sale of 5,000 calls at the July $50 strike for a premium of $0.60 apiece, spread against the purchase of 5,000 puts at the lower July $40 strike for a premium of $1.35 each. The net cost of the reversal transaction amounts to $0.75 per contract. The investor responsible for the trade is perhaps hoping to accumulate profits to the downside should the stock trade beneath the breakeven share price of $39.25 by expiration in July.
BRCD – Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. – The supplier of networking equipment forecast maximum 2010 earnings of $0.58 per share, which underwhelmed analysts expecting $0.60 per share. A plethora of analyst downgrades combined with the lower-than-expected 2010 profit forecast pummeled Brocade’s share price down 23.50% to $5.32 today. BRCD was downgraded to ‘hold’…