ONEOK Options In Focus As Shares Spike
by Option Review - July 25th, 2013 7:58 pm
Today’s tickers: OKE, STX & SPR
OKE - ONEOK, Inc. – Shares in ONEOK are ripping higher on Thursday, rallying as much as 22% to a near three-month high of $52.32 during morning trading after the company said it plans to spinoff its natural gas distribution business. Options activity on OKE this morning suggests some traders may be taking profits given the strong move in the shares today. Call open interest in the August expiry options is greatest at the $45 strike, with 5,280 open contracts. A review of time and sales data for the Aug $45 calls indicates most of the contracts were likely purchased for an average premium of $0.525 each the morning of July 8th when shares in OKE were hovering around $39.63. The sharp move in the price of the underlying today pushed premium on the Aug $45 strike calls up to as high as $6.80 during the first half of the session. Upwards of 4,500 of the $45 calls have changed hands today, with the bulk of the volume sold for an average premium of $4.59 each, or roughly nine times as much as the $0.525 average premium paid earlier this month. Meanwhile, options traders positioning for shares in the name to extend gains in the near term snapped up around 1,000 calls at each of the Aug $50 and $55 strikes for average premiums of $1.83 and $0.85 each, respectively. ONEOK is scheduled to report second-quarter earnings after the close on July 30th. Shares in ONEOK are currently off their highest level of the session, but continue to stand up 18.5% on the day at $50.75 as of 12:20 p.m. ET.
STX - Seagate Technology Plc – Options changing hands on Seagate Technology today suggest some traders may be positioning for a near-term rebound in the…
Bullish Options In Play At Spirit AeroSystems
by Option Review - April 11th, 2012 4:23 pm
Today’s tickers: SPR, MCO & ZION
SPR - Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. – Shares in the manufacturer of commercial aircraft structures and components rallied 3.3% to $23.72 this morning on the heels of Alcoa’s positive earnings surprise and improved outlook for the global aerospace industry. Spirit appears to have received a vote of confidence from one strategist selling a large block of October expiry put options. It looks like the trader sold 3,145 puts at the Oct. $20 strike to pocket premium of $0.85 apiece. The put seller walks away with the full amount of premium in pocket as long as Spirit’s shares exceed $20.00 at expiration in six months. Options volume on Spirit AeroSystems today is higher than usual given the stock’s 90-day average volume of 104 contracts and an overall open interest reading of approximately 8,190 existing positions.
MCO - Moody’s Corp. – A sizable put spread initiated on ratings agency, Moody’s Corp., this morning indicates one strategist may be looking for shares in the name to pull back ahead of May expiration. Moody’s Corp.’s shares, which last week touched a new 3-year high of $43.05, are up 2.6% today at $41.83 and 21.5% year-to-date. The put spread on MCO may be the work of an investor taking an outright bearish stance on the stock, or, alternatively, employing a protective strategy to hedge a long position in the shares, ahead of the Company’s first-quarter earnings report on April 26th. The trader appears to have purchased a 1,950-lot May $37/$40 put spread for a net premium of $0.58 per contract. Profits or downside protection kick in should shares in Moody’s drop 5.8% to breach the effective breakeven price of $39.42, while maximum possible gains of $2.42 per contract are available in the event that shares plunge 11.5% to…