Options Trades Nn HSBC Signal Investor Optimism
by Option Review - August 1st, 2011 4:22 pm
Today’s tickers: HBC, TEVA, TLB & CAVM
HBC - HSBC Holdings PLC – Shares in the financial services provider increased 2.9% to $50.30 at the start of the trading week on news Europe’s largest bank by market value agreed to sell its upstate New York branch network to First Niagara Financial Group for around $1 billion. The London-based company said it plans to cut $3.5 billion in costs over the next two years by trimming 10% of its workforce and closing offices. HSBC posted better-than-expected first-half earnings ahead of the opening bell this morning. Options players cheered HSBC today by ditching downside protection, selling puts and engaging in light call buying in the front month. Approximately 4.1 put options are changing hands on HSBC for each single call option in action today. Investors expecting shares to exceed $49.00 through August expiration sold roughly 2,300 puts at the August $49 strike for an average premium of $0.74 apiece. Open interest at that strike suggests traders purchased around 2,000 of the Aug. $49 puts on Friday at an average premium of $1.41 each. Put sellers may be purging protective or bearish positions on HSBC post-earnings, or may be selling the puts outright to rake in available premium on the options. Investors engaging in the latter strategy keep the full amount of premium received as long as HSBC’s shares exceed $49.00 through expiration day in a few weeks. Similar put-selling took place at the August $48 strike where some 1,555 puts sold for an average premium of $0.39 a-pop, while 1,000 puts were sold at the August $47 strike at an average premium of $0.19 per contract. Meanwhile, investors expecting shares in the financial services company to continue to rise picked up some 560 in-the-money calls at the August $49 strike at an average premium of $1.35 each, and purchased around 620 calls at the August $50 strike for an average premium of $0.68 apiece. Call buyers profit at expiration if shares in HSBC rally above…
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Talbots Put Options in Fashion with Bearish Players
by Option Review - January 4th, 2011 4:57 pm
Today’s tickers: TLB, PFCB, VZ, NDAQ, MTL & HSNI
TLB - Talbots, Inc. – Bearish traders donning Talbots put options this afternoon appear to be positioning for shares of the women’s apparel, shoes and accessories manufacturer to continue falling in the next couple of months. The clothing maker’s shares are down 5.05% in the final minutes of the trading day to stand at $8.08. TLB was cut to ‘hold’ from ‘buy’ with a $10.00 share price target at Jefferies on Monday. Talbots’ February $7.0 strike put options are the most active today, with more than 6,000 contracts having changed hands at that strike ahead of the closing bell, versus previously existing open interest of 644 lots. Nearly all of the put options were purchased at that strike for an average premium of $0.19 each. Put buyers make money if TLB’s shares drop another 15.7% to trade below the average breakeven point at $6.81 by February expiration day. Longer-term bearish traders tried on May $7.0 strike put options for size, buying some 1,300 contracts for an average premium of $0.59 apiece. Talbots’ overall reading of options implied volatility ended the session 13.2% higher on the day at 52.01%.
PFCB - P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc. – Put options are flying out of the kitchen at P.F. Chang’s this afternoon with shares of the Asian-inspired restaurant chain operator slipping 2.50% lower to $47.44 in the final 30 minutes of the session. Investor appetite for bearish put contracts follows reports out on Monday from the National Restaurant Association noting that, for the first time in three months, restaurant operators reported net declines in same-store sales and customer traffic levels in the month of November. Approximately 5,500 puts changed hands at the February $45 strike today versus paltry previously existing open interest of just 111 contracts at that strike. Volume in February $45 strike puts represents roughly 53% of the 10,415 lots of overall previously existing open interest on the restaurant operator. It looks like investors satisfied bearish outlook on…
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Bulls Itching for Rebound in Shares of MGM Resorts International, Inc.
by Option Review - June 30th, 2010 4:40 pm
Today’s tickers: MGM, WFT, HD, OC, APC, TLB & RBCN
MGM – MGM Resorts International, Inc. – The casino resort operator’s shares rebounded 0.60% during afternoon trading to arrive at $10.11 by 1:50 pm (ET). MGM’s shares fell as much as 13.85% from Monday’s opening price of $11.56 to Tuesday’s intraday low of $9.96. Optimistic options investors expecting the casino operator’s shares to continue to rebound ahead of July expiration day purchased debit call spreads. Traders picked up approximately 5,000 calls at the July $11 strike for an average premium of $0.28 apiece, and sold about the same number of calls at the higher July $12 strike for an average premium of $0.08 each. Net premium paid for the spreads amounts to an average of $0.20 per contract. Investors positioning for a rally are positioned to make money if MGM’s shares jump 10.8% to trade above the average breakeven price of $11.20 by expiration next month. Shares of the underlying stock must surge 18.7% and exceed $12.00 in order for call spreader to walk away with maximum potential profits of $0.80 per contract by July expiration.
WFT – Weatherford International Ltd. – Shares of the provider of equipment and services used for the drilling, completion and production of oil and natural gas wells are up 1.35% to stand at $13.48 as of 2:05 pm (ET). WFT popped up on our ‘most active by options volume’ market scanner in afternoon trading due to bullish activity in the August contract. It looks like investor expecting Weatherford’s shares to continue to appreciate over the next couple of months are engaging in plain-vanilla call buying on the stock. Traders picked up roughly 4,200 in-the-money calls at the August $13 strike for an average premium of $1.48 apiece. Investors long the calls are prepared to profit should shares of the underlying stock rally another 7.4% over the current price to surpass the average breakeven point to the upside at $14.48 by August expiration. Bullish sentiment spread to the higher August $15 strike where investors paid an average premium of $0.56 per contract to take ownership of 3,400 call options. Optimistic individuals long the higher strike calls make money if WFT’s shares surge more than 15.4% to exceed the effective breakeven price of $15.56 by expiration day in August.
HD – Home Depot, Inc. – The home improvement supplies retailer attracted bearish options strategists throughout the…
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Iron-Ore Bull Excavates Massive Credit Spread on Vale S.A.
by Option Review - December 8th, 2009 4:08 pm
Today’s tickers: VALE, ANF, ARIA, GCI, S, KR, SYY, AZO, TLB & RAI
VALE – Vale S.A. – Option volume on iron-ore producer, Vale, exploded this afternoon after one investor exchanged 102,200 puts in the June 2010 contract. The put activity actually implies bullish sentiment on Vale despite the 3% decline in shares this afternoon to $27.36. It appears the contrarian trader sold 51,100 in-the-money puts at the June 29 strike for a premium of 4.45 each, and purchased 51,100 puts at the lower June 23 strike for 1.75 apiece. The iron-bull receives a net credit of 2.70 per contract on the trade, which he keeps if VALE’s shares rally above $29.00 by expiration in June. Shares closed at $29.40 just last week on December 2, 2009. The investor is exposed to losses to the downside if shares decline through the breakeven price of $26.30. Maximum potential losses of 3.30 per contract accumulate for the trader if the stock sinks 16% from the current price to $23.00 by June’s expiration day.
ANF – Abercrombie & Fitch Co. – A number of large-volume put transactions on fashion retail store operator, Abercrombie & Fitch, indicates investor pessimism on the stock through expiration in January 2010. Abercrombie’s shares slipped 1.5% during afternoon trading to $35.11. Perhaps bearish option traders were dismayed by the firm’s weaker-than-expected November sales report. ANF posted a 17% decline in same-store sales for the month, which was far worse than the 9.3% decline anticipated by analysts. It appears one investor initiated a four-legged combination play aimed at protecting against near-term declines in the value of ANF shares. First the investor established a ratio put spread by purchasing 15,000 puts at the January 35 strike for 2.10 apiece, marked against the sale of 30,000 puts at the lower January 32 strike for 95 cents each. The net cost of the ratio spread amounts to 20 cents per contract. Next, the trader effectively created an uneven butterfly spread by rolling a previously established put position in the January 2010 contract up to a higher strike price. It seems the trader originally purchased 15,000 puts at the January 29 strike for roughly 2.50 apiece on October 2, 2009. Today the individual took a loss on that position by selling the puts for 40 cents apiece to buy the same number of put options at the higher January 31 strike for 80 cents…
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Vale Options Bulls Continue to Charge as Shares Slumber
by Option Review - October 7th, 2009 6:48 pm
Today’s tickers: VALE, AMZN, TAP, FDO, SYMC, MON, MFA & TLB
VALE - Option traders set up long-term bullish trades across several contracts on the world’s largest iron-ore producer. Shares edged 0.25% lower this afternoon to $23.82 despite the upgrade to ‘buy’ from ‘neutral’ and the increase in target price to $31.00 from $25.00, at Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. One investor reeled in profits by closing out an existing short put position. He originally sold 6,500 puts at the March 23 strike for a premium of 3.35 apiece. Today he made a closing purchase of all the contracts for 2.40 each. Net profits on the transaction amount to 95 cents each or total gains of $617,500. Next, it seems the same investor initiated a new bullish stance on the stock by employing the same short-put strategy at the January 2011 22.5 strike where he sold 6,500 puts for 4.00 per contract. The next optimistic transaction today was a bullish risk reversal. One investor shed 10,000 puts at the January 2011 20 strike for 2.87 each in order to partially finance the purchase of 10,000 calls at the January 25 strike for 4.00 per contract. The net cost of the reversal amounts to 1.13. Thus, profits are available on the trade if VALE’s shares rally a minimum of 10% by expiration, to surpass the breakeven price of $26.13. – Vale S.A. –
AMZN - Shares of e-tailer, Amazon.com, are up 3% to $93.61. A bullish risk reversal in the November contract today suggests at least one option trader expects to see significant near-term gains in the stock by expiration. The reversal involved the sale of 5,000 puts at the November 80 strike for an average premium of 1.80 apiece. The short sale of the put options partially financed the purchase of 5,000 calls at the November 105 strike for 2.30 each. The net cost of the trade amounts to 50 cents per contract. If the investor is to accumulate profits by expiration, shares of AMZN must add at least 13% to the current price to breach the breakeven point at $105.50. – Amazon.com, Inc. –
TAP - The beer brewing company appeared on our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner due to bearish options action in the January 2011 contract. Shares edged 0.5% higher during the trading session to $49.52. The investor responsible for the trade sold 5,000 calls at the January 55…
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Creeping Confidence Emerging In Citi?
by Option Review - June 24th, 2009 6:18 pm
Today’s tickers: C, WLP, ORCL, PCAR, EK, TLB & RVBD
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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.