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Posts Tagged ‘HGSI’

Human Genome Sees Modest Bullish Plays After Analyst Predicts Surge

www.interactivebrokers.com

Today’s tickers: HGSI, BRCM, AAP, VIX & EWC

HGSI– Shares of the biopharmaceutical company have reached a new 52-week high today, rising 7.5% to $16.00, surpassing the old high for the past year of $15.72 attained on August 4, 2009. Helping to boost shares was the reiteration of an ‘outperform’ rating on the stock and a target price of $30.00 by analysts at Leerink Swann today. Bullish option trades were observed on HGSI this morning with call activity outweighing that of puts by a factor of more than 3-to-1. One investor initiated an optimistic play by purchasing 1,500 calls at the September 16 strike price for a premium of 1.59 apiece. He reduced the cost of getting bullish by spreading the purchase against the sale of 1,500 calls at the higher October 17.5 strike for 1.46 per contract. The net cost of the transaction amounts to just 13 cents and provides the investor with an effective exit strategy by expiration in October if the stock should surpass $17.50. If the trader chooses to take delivery of the underlying shares by exercising the calls in September, and shares rise above $17.50 by expiration in October, he will ultimately bank profits of 1.37 per contract or a total of $205,500 by having the shares called away from him. – Human Genome Sciences, Inc.

BRCM – The producer of semiconductors for wired and wireless communications appeared on our ‘most active by options volume’ market scanner after investors began hoarding put options in the September contract. Shares of BRCM are currently lower by more than 2% to stand at $26.62. Perhaps bracing for further near-term declines, traders picked up some 3,000 puts at the in-the-money September 28 strike price for a premium of 2.25 apiece. Additional downside protection was picked up at the now in-the-money September 27 strike where 5,000 puts cost an average 1.58 each. Finally, the most bearish traders purchased 5,000 puts at the lower September 25 strike price for a premium of 80 cents per contract. Investors long the out-of-the-money put options must see shares of BRCM decline another 9% before profits begin to amass beneath the breakeven point to the downside at $24.20. – Broadcom Corp.

AAP – The specialty retailer of automotive parts and accessories edged onto our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner after one investor established a ratio put spread on the stock. Shares have slipped
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Gaylord Welcomes New Options Players As Investors Target Upside

www.interactivebrokers.com

Today’s tickers: GET, BAC, WFMI, KSS, HGSI, MOS, AES & NUAN

GET – The diversified hospitality and entertainment company edged onto our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner after a bullish reversal was established in the October contract. Shares of GET have surged more than 17.5% to $17.22 today on “solid” second-quarter results which exceeded analyst expectations. An investor looking for continued gains in the stock sold 3,000 puts short at the October 12.5 strike price for 55 cents per contract in order to partially fund the purchase of 3,000 calls at the higher October 17.5 strike for a premium of 1.65 each. The net cost of the transaction amounts 1.10. The trader will begin to accrue profits by expiration if shares can continue higher by at least 8% to breach the breakeven point at $18.60. We note that the more than 6,000 lots exchanged on the stock today, trumps previous existing open interest of 1,993 contracts by 201%. – Gaylord Entertainment Company

BAC – A number of longer-term option trades observed on BAC today indicate that some investors believe the financial services firm is on the road to recovery. Shares have increased more than 3% to arrive at the current price of $15.80. Call spreads were enacted in the February 2010 contract by traders expecting significant appreciation in the value of the underlying shares by expiration. Approximately 14,000 calls were purchased at the February 20 strike price for an average premium of 86 cents apiece, and were spread against the sale of about 14,000 calls at the higher February 25 strike for 22 cents each. The average net cost of the transaction amounts to 64 cents. Investors will enjoy maximum potential profits of 4.36 per contract if shares of BAC can rally a whopping 58% to $25.00 by expiration in February. Traders will begin to amass profits given a 31% rise in the stock through the breakeven point at $20.64. – Bank of America Corp.

WFMI – The largest retailer of natural and organic foods in the U.S. is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings after the market closes today. Shares are currently off slightly by more than 1% to $24.45 as we near the conclusion of today’s trading session. Option trades revealed mixed sentiment by investors ahead of earnings. A trader who could be protecting a long position in the underlying was seen selling 5,000 puts short at
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Call Buyers Flock to Cisco After Broker Upgrade

www.interactivebrokers.com

Today’s tickers: CSCO, TGT, LVS, DISCA, HGSI, OREX, EWJ & GE

CSCO – The largest maker of networking equipment received an upgrade to ‘outperform’ from ‘neutral’ at Credit Suisse Group AG, boosting shares up more than 2.5% to $21.05. Option-bulls were seen picking up call options at the August 22 strike price 3,600 times for an average premium of 42 cents each. Call buying was observed up at the August 23 strike where 2,300 lots were purchased for 18 cents apiece. Shares of CSCO must rally another 10% to the breakeven point at $23.18 in order for call-buyers at the higher August 23 strike to amass profits by expiration. Other traders locked into gains by scooping up protective put options 3,800 times at the August 21 strike for 79 cents per contract. Finally, bullish sentiment spread to the September 23 strike price where 3,000 calls were coveted for 34 cents each. – Cisco Systems, Inc.

TGT – A bullish reversal on the retailer today suggests that at least one investor is hoping for shares of TGT to appreciate through expiration in October. The stock is currently trading flat at $39.56. The sale of 5,000 put options at the October 40 strike price for a premium of 3.20 apiece was spread against the purchase of 5,000 calls at the same strike for 2.70 each. The individual responsible for the transaction receives a net credit of 50 cents and will add to his profits if shares rally through $40.00 by expiration. Perhaps this investor is expecting the stock to rise because the reasonably-priced store may attract a greater percentage of cash-strapped back-to-school shoppers this year. – Target Corp.

LVS – Investors of the hotel and casino operator have enjoyed a more than 15.5% rally in shares of LVS to $9.95. The stock jumped after the firm announced plans to “apply for an initial public offering of shares in its Macau casinos in Hong Kong as early as next month”. Option traders hoping for a continued rally, were seen purchasing call options in the near-term August contract. The August 12 strike price had 1,700 calls bought for 40 cents apiece while the higher August 13 strike also had 1,700 lots coveted for about 26 cents each. The stock would need to improve 33% from the current price in order for August 13 strike call-buyers to profit at the breakeven price of $13.26.
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MetroPCS Options Calendar Spread at Play as Shares Rally

www.interactivebrokers.com

Today’s tickers: PCS, EEM, GIGM, AIG, DFS, GE, PBR & HGSI

PCS – The wireless communications provider has experienced a more than 4.5% rally in shares today, attracting bullish option traders to the field. One trade in particular caught our eye as an investor looking for significant gains in the price of the stock took action. The purchase of 3,600 calls at the nearly in-the-money August 12.5 strike price for 1.05 was the first leg of the optimistic trade. The call options in the August contract were spread against the sale of another 3,600 calls at the higher 17.5 strike price in the February 2010 contract for 55 cents apiece. The net cost of the calendar spread amounts to 50 cents. If the nearer-term calls land in-the-money, the investor can exercise his right to take delivery of the underlying shares at an effective cost of $13.00 each. Once he is long the stock, the investor is hoping to see shares rise to $17.50 by expiration in February. If shares can rally through the 17.5 strike price, the trader will make his exit by having the underlying stock called away from him, exiting the pitch with gains of 35% in total. – MetroPCS Communications, Inc.

EEM – Options action on the emerging markets fund today suggests mixed opinions by traders populating the nearer-term contracts. Shares of EEM have slipped 1% to stand at $31.55. One bearish investor looked to the August 30 strike price to initiate a sold straddle. Such positioning indicates that the trader expects shares to continue downward and settle at $30.00 by expiration. The straddle was enacted through the sale of 7,500 puts and an equal number of calls for a gross premium of 3.93 per contract. The full premium will remain pocketed by the investor responsible for the trade if the price of the underlying gravitates to $30.00. The short call and put positions leaves this individual exposed to losses beneath the breakeven point to the downside at $26.07 and vulnerable to unlimited losses above the breakeven point to the upside at $33.93. Another investor has lessened his bearish outlook on the EEM by initiating a calendar spread. It appears that this trader sold 20,000 puts at the August 27 strike price for 52 cents apiece to fund the purchase of 20,000 puts at the much lower September 22 strike for 26 cents per contract.
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Phil's Favorites

Jobless Claims Improve, Leading Indicators Decline: Economic Report Card

Courtesy of John Nyaradi.

Jobless claims improve while leading indicators decline in today’s economic report card

by Wall Street Sector Selector Staff

Weekly jobless claims declined to 424,000 from last week’s 432, 000 but stubbornly stayed above the all important 400,000 level for another week.

August Leading Indicators came in at +0.3% compared to 0.5% for July, as the economy continues registering weakness.

Good news came from July Home Prices which rose to +0.8% from the previously reported +0.7%.

But the biggest economic news of the week came yesterday when the Federal Reserve said it saw  “significant downside risks to the economic outlook, including strains in global financial markets.”

Global stock markets responded negatively yesterday an...



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Insider Scoop

Priceline.com Trades Higher on Q1 Earnings Results (PCLN)

Courtesy of Benzinga

Shares of Priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN) are trading higher in the after-hours following the release of its Q1 earnings results. Currently, shares are up 2.74%, trading at $548.60; they closed the regular session down 0.67 %, at $533.97.

The company said that its Q1 EPS came in at $2.66 on revenues of $809.3 million; this compares to the Street's estimate of $2.46 per share on revenues of $779.5 million. Revenues rose 38.6% year over year.

"In the 1st quarter, the Group benefited from strong growth in our global hotel business, particularly at Booking.com and Agoda," said Jeffery H. Boyd, Priceline President and Chief Executive Officer.

He added, "Room nights booked grew by 55.8% and our international gross bookings grew by 79% compared to prior year...



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Zero Hedge

Fukushima Explosion Update: Core Presumed Intact As Sea Water Used To Bring Temperature Down, Radiation Level At 1015 Microsieverts/Hour

Courtesy of Tyler Durden

The damage control to the Fukushima explosion reported earlier is coming fast and furious. According to CNN, "the explosion at an earthquake-damaged nuclear plant was not caused by damage to the nuclear reactor but by a pumping system that failed as crews tried to bring the reactor's temperature down, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Saturday. The next step for workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant will be to flood the reactor containment structure with sea water to bring the reactor's temperature down to safe levels, he said. The effort is expected to take two days." While the government is trying to play down the threat from the explosion, it has nonetheless double the evacuation zone radius from 10 to 20 kilometers: "Radiation levels have fallen since the explosion and there is no immediate danger, Edano said. But authorities were nevertheless expanding the evacuation ...



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Chart School

The Mega-Bear Quartet and L-Shaped "Recoveries"

Courtesy of Doug Short

Note from dshort: I retired this chart series last summer in deference to my prefered inflation-adjusted series that aligns the S&P 500 2000 high with the Nikkei peak in 1989. However, I continue to receive requests for this version, despite the "V" shape of the the recovery since the March 2009 low. This chart series overlays the current S&P 500 with the L-shaped "recoveries" after the Dow Crash of 1929, the Nikkei 225 after Japan's 1989 bubble, and the post Tech Bubble NASDAQ. Click the chart below for a larger version and use the links to see various comparisons.


Click for a larger image

I've ...



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Sabrient

Sabrient Risers - 3/12/2011

Top 5 RisersStockRatingAnalysisVLOSTRONGBUYAn increasingly positive growth rate of past earnings, along with improving expectations for long term growth, make Valero a good prospect for high returns.KROSTRONGBUYKronos Worldwide has been gaining recognition from analysts as a good canditate for achieving higher than expected earnings along with higher overall projected valuation.SFIBUYiStar is one of the top candidates projected to achieve both higher than previously projected earnings in the short run and a higher earnings growth rate in the long run.AMATSTRONGBUYApplied Materials has been...

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Option Review

Bulls Scoop Up Sprint Nextel Corp. Calls

 Today’s tickers: S, FTR, JTX & SBUX

...



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OpTrader

Swing trading portfolio - week of March 7th, 2011

This post is for live trades and daily comments. Please click on "comments" below to follow our live discussion. All of our current virtual trades are listed in the spreadsheet below, with entry price (1/2 in and All in), and exit prices (1/3 out, 2/3 out, and All out).

We also indicate our stop, which is most of the time the "5 day moving average". All trades, unless indicated, are front-month ATM options. 

Please feel free to participate in the discussion and ask any questions you might have about this portfolio, by clicking on the "comments" link right below.

To learn more about the swing trading portfolio (strategy, performance, FAQ, etc.), please click here

Optrader 

Swing trading portfolio

 

One trade portfolio

...

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Stock World Weekly

Stock World Weekly

Here's the newest Stock World Weekly:  Illusion Based on a Fantasy 

Comments welcome... share your thoughts. 

Download Newsletter 3/6/11


Stock World Weekly archives here >

...

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Pharmboy

Biotech Junkies Update and Momenta Pharma Moving Forward

February is now past, and the Biotech Porfolio is loaded with winners and a miss (PLX).  MRK is down a bit, but I expect that trade to recover, and one could be more agressive and double down on it, or play another round at the Jan13 $30 options for roughly the same price.  Below is the summary, and note the grey boxes are ones that did not fill.  I am still a fan of BMRN, and like DEPO as well.  Now let's look at a few others.

Table 1.  PSW Biotech Plays Since January 2011

 

Our newest play is Momenta Pharmaceuticals (MNTA), who is pursuing a three-part business model which includes complex generic equivalents in partnership with the Sandoz division of Novartis, proprietary compounds, and follow-on- biologics (FOB).  It seems that this company is tied up in competition/litigation wit...



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About Phil:

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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