NetApp option implied volatility jumps as call demand surfaces
by Option Review - April 8th, 2009 5:01 pm
Today’s tickers: NTAP, AXP, MOS, SEPR, GM, JNPR, ROK, VIX, TGT & TCK
NTAP NetApp, Inc. – Option implied volatility has skyrocketed from yesterday’s value of 56% to the current reading of 74% as merger fever has set its sights on the company. Shares have jumped more than 10% to $16.47 today, attracting many a bullish option trader hungry for some hot call action. Option volume has risen above 103,000 contracts on the day, with 3.65 calls traded for each put in action. The April 17.5 strike price saw some 10,700 calls purchased for 32 cents each while calls as high up as the April 22.5 strike were coveted for 5 cents per contract. More volume was seen building on the call side in the May contract with 9,100 calls bought at the May 17.5 strike for an average premium of 79 cents. Again, the most bullish traders selected the May 22.5 strike and picked up 3,700 calls for 16 cents apiece. Shares would need to continue to rally by 38% in order for the 22.5 strikes to land in-the-money by expiration. When looking for downside protection, investors clustered at the April 16 strike price and scooped up 7,400 puts at an average premium of 58 cents per contract.
AXP American Express Company – The global payments and travel company has enjoyed a 3.5% share price rally to $15.54 after it received an upgrade from Citigroup yesterday following Goldman Sachs’s decision to remove AXP from its ‘conviction sell’ list on Friday. Investor bullishness was apparent at the April 17 strike price where about 5,200 calls were purchased for an average of 20 cents apiece. Other optimists were observed picking up 1,000 calls at the April 19 strike price at a price of 5 cents per option contract. Volatility on the stock is on the rise, up from the low for the day of 82% to the current value of 89%.
MOS The Mosaic Company – The producer of potash and animal feed has made a comeback since this morning with its shares currently up 5% to $45.15 after having fallen 4% in pre-market trading. Shares started down due to disappointing third-quarter results, which revealed that profits declined dramatically to just 13 cents a share as compared with $1.17 per share one year ago. The company’s CEO, James T. Prokopanko, is looking for Mosaic’s financials to improve in the fourth quarter.…
Patient XLF optimist targets January 2011 combination
by Option Review - March 5th, 2009 6:21 pm
Today’s tickers: XLF, DUK, DOW, GE, CX, GME, SEPR & ADBE
XLF – Financial Select Sector SPDR – Helping pummel the S&P index and continuing to sour the tone today is a 9.5% slump in the financial select sector ETF, which is now trading at $6.22 and as if we need to mention it, that’s a fresh lifetime low. In the front March contract there is heavy call volume at the 8.0 and 9.0 strikes, both trading to bid and ask illuminating a decidedly mixed picture. Catching our eye at the January 2011 strike is a curious bullish combination in which an investor appears to have created a ratio put spread at the 4.0 and 5.0 strikes in which twice as many puts were sold at the lower strike. Some 10,000 puts were sold at a premium of 96 cents while 5,000 were bought at the 5.0 strike for 1.51. The net premium creates downside losses starting at $3.45. The other leg of the trade appears much higher up on the call side where some 5,000 calls were paid for at the 20 line with a 21 cent premium. We’re assuming that this investor is pitching camp in the 2011 contract to help weather the financial storm in hopes that sunny days will prevail after the clouds dissipate leaving him well positioned for the inevitable rebound.
DUK – Duke Energy Corporation – The energy company experienced a 3% decline to $12.06, but did not deter bullish action by one investor in the April contract. At the 12.5 strike price, over 18,000 calls were purchased for an average price of 53 cents apiece. Perhaps this trader was taking advantage of falling call premiums given today’s share price decline. In order to profit from the trade shares will need to rally by 8% to the breakeven price of $13.03. Option implied volatility has surged from 37% earlier in the day to the present reading of 49.5%.
DOW – Dow Chemical Co. – Shares of the chemical manufacturer have declined 6.5% to $6.60, reaching a new 52-week low for the stock. We observed bearish option trades in play, the largest of which occurred at the March 5.0 strike price where 20,500 puts were purchased for 34 cents each. This investor is likely buying protection from further downside movement in shares, and it is likely that he is long the stock. The bearish picture…