First-Mover Advantage Big for NYX Call Buyers Acting Before Trading Suspended
by Andrew Wilkinson - February 9th, 2011 4:30 pm
Today’s tickers: NYX, ATML, JCP & SWY
NYX - NYSE Euronext Inc. – Investors observed buying up call options on the global group of exchanges before trading in the name was halted this morning, are sitting pretty this afternoon with NYX shares trading up as much as 19.7% at a new 2-year high of $39.99. Reports that NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Boerse AG were in advanced talks to merge, lifted NYX shares before trading was suspended earlier in the session. Early-birds speculating that the rally was just getting started scooped up some 830 calls at the February $35 strike for an average premium of $0.56 each. These calls now tout an asking price of $3.65 apiece, an increase in value of around 550%. Other bulls picked up more than 2,600 calls at the higher February $36 strike for an average premium of $0.26 per contract this morning. The now deep in-the-money call options now cost $2.36 each, which is 808% more than first-movers paid earlier today. Investors who purchased the calls could potentially walk away with huge profits by selling the contracts in the span of just a few hours. Trading in NYX call options picked up significantly once trading in the name resumed. News of the merger-talks and rising demand for NYX options fueled a more than 53.1% rise in options implied volatility on the stock to 37.48% by 12:35pm in New York.
ATML - Atmel Corp. – The semiconductor manufacturer popped up on our scanners this morning after one trader reeled in profits on the sale of large block of call options that were originally purchased during the first week of trading in 2011. The same strategist extended and augmented bullish sentiment on Atmel Corp. by picking up calls in the May contract. Shares in Atmel are currently up…
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Bearish Player Paws at Cubist Pharmaceuticals
by Andrew Wilkinson - February 8th, 2011 6:28 pm
Today’s tickers: CBST, STJ, EFA & PEP
CBST - Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – A three-legged transaction involving Cubist Pharmaceuticals stock, as well as call and put options, appears to be the work of a bearish investor positioning for shares in the name to pullback ahead of August expiration. CBST shares are currently down 1.05% to arrive at $22.15 as of 11:55am in New York. It looks like the strategist initiated a delta neutral position, selling around 88,600 shares at $22.24 each, selling 2,100 calls at the August $30 strike for a premium of $0.80 per contract, and buying 2,100 puts at the August $17 strike at a premium of $1.45 apiece, on a delta of approximately 0.42. The parameters of the transaction prepare the trader to potentially amass substantial profits if shares in the biopharmaceutical company continue to trend lower in the time remaining to expiration. The value of the long put options will rise as shares fall, while the short calls will decline in value and become cheaper to buy back. Erosion in the price of the underlying shares is also favorable on the short stock leg of the transaction.
STJ - St. Jude Medical, Inc. – The medical devices manufacturer popped up on our scanners in early morning trade after a large number of call and put options changed hands in the January 2012 contract. It looks like one investor initiated a sizeable bullish stance on the stock in order to position for shares in St. Jude Medical to rise substantially by January of next year. Shares in the name increased as much as 2.2% today to secure an intraday- and new 52-week high of $44.95 in the first half of the session. The trader appears to have sold 5,900 puts at the January 2012 $40 strike for a…
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Option Strategies and Spreads Suggest Good Times on the Horizon for JPMorgan
by Andrew Wilkinson - February 5th, 2011 4:02 am
Today’s tickers: JPM, GG, CVA & RSH
JPM - JPMorgan Chase & Co. – Bullish sentiment on JPMorgan is alive, well and flourishing by the looks of transactions taking place in April contract call and put options this afternoon. Shares in the name are down 1.7% at $44.69 as of 1:00pm in New York, but some strategists are positioning for the stock to rally during the next few months. JPM-bulls are taking advantage of the dip in the price of the underlying, and seem little concerned the latest buzz regarding a lawsuit filed in December of last year, alleging the company knew of, but failed to report, fraudulent activity perpetrated by Bernard Madoff. A three-legged transaction involving the sale of 4,500 April $52 strike puts and the sale of the same number of April $49 strike calls, reduced the cost of buying 4,500 calls at the April $45 strike to just $0.27 per contract. The investor responsible for the transaction starts to make money if shares in the financial services firm rise 1.3% to surpass the effective breakeven price of $45.27 ahead of April expiration. Maximum potential profits of $3.73 per contract are available to the trader in the event that JPM’s shares surge 9.6% in the next three months to trade above $49.00 by expiration day. Meanwhile, it looks like other bulls are buying the April $46/$49 call spread, around 9,000 times, for an average premium of $1.11 per contract. Debit call-spreaders stand prepared to profit should shares increase 5.4% to trade above the average breakeven share price of $47.11 before the calls expire in April. Investors could walk away with maximum potential profits of $1.89 per contract if the price of the underlying stock jumps 9.6% to exceed $49.00 by April expiration day.
GG - Goldcorp, Inc. – Investors placed medium-term bullish bets on the gold producer today in order to position for significant appreciation in the price of the underlying stock over the next few months. Shares in the gold mining company pared…
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Call Options Fly Off the Shelves at Yahoo!
by Andrew Wilkinson - February 3rd, 2011 5:21 pm
Today’s tickers: YHOO, TSN, BJ & CEPH
YHOO - Yahoo, Inc. – Large prints in Yahoo! call options today indicate some strategists see shares in the name rising in the next couple of months. Shares in the online media company rallied as much as 1.8% today to trade around $16.87 by 12:00pm in New York. A massive call spread appears to have been purchased in the April contract. The investor responsible for the transaction purchased 46,500 calls at the April $18 strike for a premium of $0.50 each, and sold the same number of calls at the higher April $20 strike at a premium of $0.20 a-pop. Net premium paid to initiate the spread amounts to $0.30 per contract. Thus, the investor responsible for the spread is poised to profit should shares in Yahoo! rally 8.5% over today’s high of $16.87 to surpass the effective breakeven price of $18.30 ahead of April expiration. Maximum potential profits of $1.70 per contract are available to the investor if shares in YHOO jump 18.6% to trade above $20.00 before the options expire in April. Earlier in the session, another bullish player initiated a similar spread, buying around 5,000 calls at the March $17 strike for an average premium of $0.54 each, and selling the same number of calls at the higher March $19 strike at an average premium of $0.19 apiece. The net cost of the transaction amounts to $0.35 per contract and positions the trader to make money in the event that Yahoo’s shares rise above $17.35 by March expiration. The sharp rise in demand for options on Yahoo! sent the overall reading of options implied volatility on the stock up 10.6% to 33.41% in early afternoon trade.
TSN - Tyson Foods, Inc. – Bullish options traders are picking up calls on the producer of chicken, beef, pork and prepared food products this morning ahead of the firm’s first-quarter earnings report, scheduled for release before the market opens on Friday. Shares in Tyson Foods increased as much as…
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Bearish Plays Pile Up at Salix Pharmaceuticals
by Andrew Wilkinson - February 2nd, 2011 5:56 pm
Today’s tickers: SLXP, UTHR, XLB & XLE
SLXP - Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – Put options are popular at Salix Pharmaceuticals today with shares in the drug maker trading 2.5% lower on the session at $40.38 in early afternoon trade. A delta neutral transaction involving March contract put options tied to activity in SLXP shares indicates one strategist expects the price of the underlying to slip further in the next couple of months. Salix reports fourth-quarter earnings after the final bell on March 7, 2011. The options trader appears to have purchased 280,000 shares in the drug maker at $41.55 each, and purchased 10,000 puts at the March $37 strike for a premium of $2.80 apiece, on a 0.28 delta. The parameters of the transaction are such that the investor could make out well on the position given sufficient moves in the price of SLXP shares in either direction. The long stock leg of the trade will rise in value if shares reverse course and appreciate enough to at least cover the cost of buying the put options. But, it is the substantial stake in long puts that are likely to yield more substantial gains for the trader given continued bearish movement in the price of the stock. The value of the puts will grow quickly enough, under the appropriate circumstances, to more than offset losses realized on the declining value of the shares. The huge jump in demand for Salix put options helped lift the stock’s overall reading of options implied volatility 42.7% to 79.71% just before 1:00pm in New York. It looks like other pessimistic players are purchasing the March $35/$40 put spread for an average premium of $2.05 per contract. Investors initiating debit spreads make money if SLXP shares drop 6.0% from the current price of $40.38 to breach the average breakeven point on the downside at $37.95 by March expiration day.
UTHR - United Therapeutics Corp. – The biotechnology firm popped up on our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner this morning due…
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Amphenol Corp. Calls in High Demand as Shares Rally to New Heights
by Andrew Wilkinson - February 1st, 2011 4:16 pm
Today’s tickers: APH, CAVM, PCX & RVBD
APH - Amphenol Corp. – Call options on the manufacturer of electrical, electronic and fiber optic connectors, interconnect systems and coaxial and specialty cable are in high demand this afternoon with shares trading up 3.2% to reach an all-time high of $57.10 by 12:25pm. Investors expecting Amphenol’s shares to continue to rise in the near term purchased in- and out-of-the-money call options in the February contract. More than 4,200 in-the-money calls changed hands at the February $55 strike on paltry previously existing open interest of 561 contracts. It looks like the majority of the calls were purchased for an average premium of $2.38 a-pop. Investors long the calls are poised to profit should shares in Amphenol Corp. surpass the average breakeven price of $57.38 ahead of February expiration. Bullish players looked up to the February $50 strike, as well, exchanging more than 1,400 calls at that strike on scant open interest of 10 contracts. Approximately 1,000 of the higher-strike call options traded on the ask for an average premium of $0.40 each. Traders purchasing the calls start to make money in the event that APH shares gain another 5.8% to exceed the average breakeven price of $60.40 before the contracts expire in a few weeks.
CAVM - Cavium Networks, Inc. – Shares in the provider of semiconductor processors shot up 14.7% in the first 15 minutes of the trading session to secure an intraday high of $45.35 following the firm’s better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings report released after the close of trading on Monday. Cavium also revealed its forecast for first-quarter profit is greater than that of Wall Street, which helped shares higher and spurred a number of analyst upgrades today. Although signs of optimism on CAVM abound, a more pessimistic view appears to be playing…
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McKesson Calls Active Ahead of Earnings After the Bell
by Andrew Wilkinson - January 31st, 2011 4:47 pm
Today’s tickers: MCK, SWY, EXM & CVLT
MCK - McKesson Corp. – Bulls are buying up call options on the drug and medical supplies distribution company today ahead of the firm’s third-quarter earnings report after the final bell. Shares in McKesson are currently up 0.50% to stand at $74.52 as of 12:25pm in New York. More than 5,800 calls have changed hands at the February $75 strike on paltry previously existing open interest of just 819 contracts at that strike. Investors taking bullish positions on McKesson ahead of earnings purchased more than 5,000 of the calls for an average premium of $1.45 per contract. Call buyers stand ready to make money should shares in the name rally another 2.6% to surpass the average breakeven price of $76.45 by February expiration. McKesson Corp.’s shares, which rallied up to $75.49 last week, have not traded this high since 1999. Options implied volatility on McKesson is up 13% at 26.23% in early afternoon trade ahead of earnings this evening.
SWY - Safeway Inc. – Activity in near-term put options on the food and drug retailer today suggests some investors expect shares in Safeway to rebound ahead of February expiration. Shares are up 1.25% at $20.77 just before 12:45pm in New York, but are down roughly 13.45% since November 5, 2010. Safeway will reveal its performance for the fourth quarter before the opening bell tolls on February 24, 2011. Bullish players appear to have sold the majority of the 18,500 puts that have changed hands at the February $20 strike on open interest of 1,595 contracts for an average premium of $0.20 each. Put sellers keep the full premium received on the sale as long as shares in Safeway exceed $20.00 through expiration day next month. More than 3,750 in-the-money put options changed hands at the higher February $23 strike on previously existing open interest of just 6 contracts. It looks like nearly 2,000 of the put options sold for an average premium of $2.57 a-pop. Investors selling the puts…
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Bulls Bulk Up on US Oil Fund Call Options
by Andrew Wilkinson - January 28th, 2011 4:28 pm
Today’s tickers: USO, MWW, AMCC & CLDX
USO - United States Oil Fund, LP – Crude oil rose Friday with traders finding more than a few excuses to support chasing the United States Oil Fund higher by as much as 4.75% to an intraday high of $37.64. The exchange traded security is meant to broadly track the price of oil and had fallen sharply at the outset of the week after OPEC’s leading producer, Saudi Arabia hinted strongly that it would accommodate rising demand with an increase in supply. Since then investors drove crude oil prices down almost $7 per barrel towards $85 leading some to possibly think that the decline might leave its price bank in the middle of a price range that Saudi and other cartel members would be content with. Friday’s third-quarter GDP report was restrained by inventories, without which the economy might have grown at a breakneck 7.1% pace for the fastest since 1984. Rising oil prices were also inspired by further unrest in the Middle East with headlines over the house arrest of an Egyptian government opponent and a clampdown on domestic Internet usage encouraging call option buying on the USO. Bullish players are binging on call options across several expiries today to support their view that USO shares will continue to rally. In options expiring next week, a whopping 20,500 calls changed hands at the February $38 strike on open interest of just 2,424 contracts. More than 15,150 of the calls were purchased for an average premium of $0.22 apiece. Similar buying patterns were seen in March contract calls. Oil-optimists even looked up to the April $44 strike to take ownership of some 2,100 calls for an average premium of $0.18 a-pop. More than 170,000 options have traded on the USO thus far today and the massive upswing in demand for the contracts helped lift the fund’s overall reading of options implied volatility 12.7% to 29.88% by 12:20pm in New York. Trading in USO calls is currently outpacing that of puts by roughly 5.3 contracts to 1.…
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Long-Term Bull Populates Mead Johnson Nutrition Post-Earnings
by Andrew Wilkinson - January 27th, 2011 4:52 pm
Today’s tickers: MJN, ETFC, GNK & CAT
MJN - Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. – The global provider of pediatric nutrition popped up on our scanners after long-dated call and put options changed hands in the January 2012 contract. Shares in Mead Johnson are down slightly by 0.40% as of 12:30pm to stand at $59.78. The Glenview, IL-based firm reported fourth-quarter earnings of $0.57 a share before the market opened, beating the average forecast by one penny, but revenues for the quarter came in at $803.7 million, which missed estimates of $808.0 million. It looks like one investor is positioning for Mead Johnson’s shares to increase substantially ahead of January 2012 expiration. The investor appears to have sold 1,900 puts at the January 2012 $50 strike at a premium of $2.68 each, in order to buy the same number of call options at the higher January 2012 $65 strike for a premium of $3.58 apiece. The net cost of the bullish risk reversal amounts to $0.90 per contract. Thus, the investor stands ready to make money should shares in MJN rally 10.2% over the current price of $59.78 to exceed the effective breakeven price of $65.90 by expiration day in one year’s time. Options implied volatility on the stock is down 16.4% at 26.00% in early afternoon trade.
ETFC - E*Trade Financial Corp. – Shares in the provider of online brokerage and other financial services rallied as much as 6.7% this morning to secure an intraday high of $16.85 despite a weaker-than-expected earnings report Wednesday evening. Analysts, on average, were expecting ETFC to earn $0.04 a share, but the fourth-largest U.S. retail brokerage said it lost $0.11 a share in the fourth quarter. The earnings miss has not stymied today’s rally in the price of the underlying shares, but traders are favoring…
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Massive Delta Neutral Position Signals Bearishness at Jacobs Engineering Group
by Andrew Wilkinson - January 26th, 2011 4:23 pm
Today’s tickers: JEC, GLW, TM & AKS
JEC - Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. – The third-largest listed U.S. engineering company popped up on our scanners today after one option strategist initiated a big delta neutral position using a large number of long-dated, in-the-money put options tied to more than 1 million shares of the underlying stock. Shares in Jacobs Engineering Group increased as much as 7.3% during the first half of the session to secure a new 2-year high of $53.10. JEC reported weaker-than-expected first-quarter results before the market opened on Tuesday, but increased earnings guidance for the full year. A spate of target share price increases and ratings upgrades from a number of analysts helped shares in Jacobs Engineering higher today. The investor responsible for nearly all of the volume in options traded on JEC today seems to be taking a contrarian view on the stock, positioning for bearish movement in the price of the underlying, while not entirely standing in the way of the rally or bullish sentiment. The trader appears to have shelled out a total of $67.127 million ($11 million for the puts, $56.127 million for the stock) to purchase 1,060,000 shares of the underlying at $52.95 each, and 20,000 in-the-money put options at the July $55 strike for a premium of $5.50 apiece on a 0.53 delta. The position may work in the investor’s favor if shares move sufficiently higher or if shares fall, however, the potential for the greatest gains lies to the downside because the value of the puts will grow much more quickly and offset any losses incurred on the decline in share price. Shares in JEC are soaring at their highest in two years but this put player is prepared to make out handsomely if the good times should come to an end.
GLW - Corning Inc. – Bullish options traders are dominating the scene at Corning this morning with shares in the glass maker now extending gains realized after the firm’s earnings report on Tuesday. Corning’s…
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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...
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