Bearish Options Change Hands On Corrections Corp. Of America
by Option Review - February 4th, 2013 1:15 pm
Today’s tickers: CXW, HUM & RRGB
CXW - Corrections Corporation of America – Put options in play on prison operator, Corrections Corporation of America, this morning indicates one or more traders may be bracing for shares in the name to pullback sharply in the near term. The largest U.S. owner and operator of privatized correctional and detention facilities likely reports fourth-quarter earnings next week. The stock today trades 1.0% lower to stand at $37.75 as of midday in New York, on a down day for U.S. stocks. The Mar. $34 strike puts are the most active options changing hands on CXW today, with 5,000 puts trading against open interest of 390 contracts. It looks like most of the $34 puts were purchased in the early going for an average premium of $0.48 apiece. Put buyers stand ready to profit at March expiration should shares in Corrections Corp. of America decline 11% from the current price of $37.75 to breach the average breakeven point on the downside at $33.54. Shares in CXW, up 60% since this time last year, last traded below $33.54 at the end of November.
HUM - Humana – Shares in the Louisville, Kentucky-based health care company are up better than 4.7% at $78.90 this afternoon after the company posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings ahead of the opening bell. Options traders positioning for shares in Humana to extend gains during the next six months snapped up August expiry calls on the stock. The August $82.5 strike calls changed hands upwards of 790 times during the first half of the session, with the bulk of the contracts purchased for an average premium of $3.40 each. Bulls long the $82.5 strike calls stand ready to profit at expiration should HUM’s shares rally another 9% to exceed the average breakeven price of $85.90. Meanwhile, traders positioning for Humana’s shares to potentially hit a fresh 52-week high by expiration in six months picked up roughly 360 calls at the Aug. $95 strike for an average premium of $0.75 apiece. Traders long the $95 strike call options make money if…
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Bulls And Bears Take To CAT Options As Shares Extend Pullback
by Option Review - May 17th, 2012 3:11 pm
Today’s tickers: CAT, RRGB & ROC
CAT – Caterpillar, Inc. – Shares in machinery maker, Caterpillar, Inc., are down the most in the Dow Jones Industrial Average today, trading more than 4.0% lower this afternoon at $88.08 as of 12:15 p.m. in New York. The stock has fallen roughly 25.0% in the past two months after reaching a record high of $116.95 at the end of February. June expiry options trades initiated on CAT this morning suggest there are some strategists preparing for a recovery in the price of the underlying while others position for further bearish movement in the stock through expiration next month. A 1,500-lot June $80/$87.5 debit put spread established at a net cost of $2.20 per contract makes money if shares in Caterpillar decline another 3.2% to trade below the effective breakeven price of $85.30 by June expiration. Maximum possible gains available on the spread amount to $5.30 per contract should the stock plunge 9.2% to $80.00 in the next four weeks. In contrast, June $92.5/$100 call spreads established for a net premium outlay of around $1.55 each look for shares in Caterpillar to rebound sharply come expiration day. Finally, nearer term plays in the fresh weekly options issued on the stock were largely bearish in the first half of the session, with traders buying puts at the May 25 ’12 $80, $82.5 and $85 strikes that increase in value if CAT’s shares extend losses next week.
RRGB – Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. – It looks like traders that sold Red Robin call options ahead of the restaurant chain operator’s disappointing first-quarter earnings report can have their burger and eat it too as shares in the name take a sharp turn to the downside. Shares in Red Robin Gourmet Burgers are off their lows of the session, trading down 11.9% at present to stand at $31.50 as of 1:20 p.m. ET. A review of open interest in the May $35 strike call, currently at 814 open positions, suggests some 478 of the contracts were sold at an average premium of $1.38 apiece between May 3rd and May 8th. With shares in the name taking a big hit today and with expiration on the horizon, it’s no surprise to see these contracts are now almost worthless. The far out-of-the-money May $35 strike call is trading at a premium of $0.05 each this afternoon.
ROC – Rockwood…
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Ford Motor Co. Calls Fly Off the Shelves
by Option Review - April 14th, 2010 5:09 pm
Today’s tickers: F, PGR, IBM, YHOO, SMH, LINTA, VALE, POT, LEN & RRGB
F – Ford Motor Co. – Call options on automobile maker, Ford Motor Co., are flying off the assembly line this afternoon with shares of the underlying stock soaring 4.5% higher to $13.36. Investors exchanged more than 381,000 option contracts on Ford by 3:25 pm (ET), and paid extra attention to call contracts, trading more than 3.7 calls to each single put option in action. The most heavily trafficked area of the Ford options arena today are call contracts at the September $14 strike where bullish players bought up approximately 86,000 lots for an average premium of $1.12 apiece. More than 99,100 calls changed hands at this strike, which puts the previously existing open interest of 22,831 contracts to shame. Call-buyers holding the September $14 strike call options are positioned to make money if the auto maker’s shares surge 13.2% over the current price to surpass the average breakeven price of $15.12 by September expiration. Ford’s overall reading of options implied volatility is up 14.5% to 39.48% with 30 minutes remaining in the trading session.
PGR – The Progressive Corp. – Bullish options investors dabbled in call options on the insurance holding company in late afternoon trading with shares of the underlying stock rallying up 5.55% to a new 52-week high of $20.55. One investor was prepared for the rally and banked profits on a previously established long call position today. It looks like the options optimist originally purchased 2,000 calls at the May $20 strike for an average premium of $0.35 apiece back on March 25, 2010, when shares of Progressive Corp. were trading at around $18.86 each. The subsequent surge in the value of Progressive’s shares prompted the trader to sell the calls today for a premium of $0.95 apiece, thus banking net profits of $0.60 per contract. Finally, the investor initiated a fresh bullish stance on the stock by purchasing 2,000 calls at the higher August $22.5 strike for a premium of $0.40 each. The trader makes money on the new call acquisition if the insurer’s shares increase another 11.45% to exceed the effective breakeven share price of $22.90 by expiration day in August.
IBM – International Business Machines Corp. – The computer services giant received a vote of confidence by one big bullish options player this afternoon amid a 1.7% increase in the…
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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.