Pfizer options active in late trading
by Andrew Wilkinson - March 24th, 2009 4:58 pm
Today’s tickers: PFE, HPQ, EFA, C, AGN, VIX, LTD, XHB, SYK, IP & TGT
PFE Pfizer Inc. – Shares of the pharmaceutical company have declined slightly by less than 1% to stand at $13.93. Pfizer edged onto our ‘most active by options volume’ market scanner late in the afternoon after some interesting trades went through in the January 2011 contract. At the 15 strike one investor initiated a sold straddle by shedding 10,000 calls for a premium of 2.05 as well as 10,000 puts for 3.60 apiece. The gross premium enjoyed on the trade amounts to 5.65 and is retained in full if shares settle at $15 by expiration. This trader is expecting shares to remain mid-way between the 52-week low for Pfizer of $11.62 and the 52-week high at $20.32. In contrast, a bullish investor purchased 11,500 calls at the January 20 strike price for 80 cents per contract. This investor is hoping to see shares rally by 49% over the next 2 years to arrive at or above a breakeven share price of $20.80.
HPQ Hewlett-Packard Co. – Shares of the technology company have dipped slightly by less than 1% to $31.08. We observed a call-to-put ratio of about 3.0 which implies that call options traded three times for each put traded. However, the calls were nearly all sold. The November contract stood out with 8,400 calls sold at the 35 strike price for an average premium of 2.80. Another 11,000 calls were shed for 2.00 at the November 37.5 strike price. No open interest was previously recorded at either of these strikes, and therefore these calls were sold short by investors. Moving into the January 2010 contract, it appears that one individual sold 3,750 in-the-money calls at the 30 strike price for a premium of 5.50, while purchasing the same number of puts at the 32.5 strike for 5.80 apiece. This transaction leaves the trader with a net cost of 30 cents and a breakeven share price at which profits begin to amass on the downside at $32.20. Thus, the overall tapestry woven together by option trades depicted some species of large bear. One trade initiated in January ran counter to rest as one investor purchased 12,500 calls at the 32.5 strike price for a hefty premium of 4.35. Shares would need to rally by about 19% from the current price in order for the investor…
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Dividend cut sparks put buying at Alcoa
by Andrew Wilkinson - March 17th, 2009 4:28 pm
Today’s tickers: AA, RIO, TGT, HD, IP, VIX, ORCL, COGO & FRED
AA Alcoa Inc. – The producer of aluminum has dropped more than 9% to $5.55 after the company slashed its dividend by 3 cents in an effort to cut back on capital spending. AA hopes these measures will help strengthen its position in the case of a lengthy economic downturn. Most of the action in options-land occurred on the put side as investors seek to profit from declines in the share price. Fresh buying was observed at the March 5.0 strike price where around 25,000 puts were picked up for an average of 15 cents apiece out of the 47,000 puts traded at the strike. Shares of Alcoa would need to fall another 12% by Friday in order to reach the breakeven price of $4.85 – the price at which put-buyers begin to amass profits. Similar purchases were observed at the 5.0 strike in April where some 53,000 puts changed hands throughout the day at an average premium of 52 cents per contract. Interestingly, one investor was seen looking for recovery in the October contract by purchasing 4,000 calls at the 7.5 strike for 1.10 each. We believe this transaction was funded by the sale of 8,000 calls at the April 7.5 strike price for a premium of 23 cents each. This investor does not see Alcoa rebounding in the next 30 days, but he is optimistic that shares will increase by about 35% in order for the calls to land in-the-money by expiration in October. In stark contrast to the optimism seen in the previous trade, one investor picked up 12,000 puts at the 2.5 strike price in January 2010 at a cost of 50 cents per contract. This trade predicts nothing but doom-and-gloom for Alcoa all the way through to the start of next year.
RIO Companhia Vale do Rio Doce ADS – Shares of the metals and mining company have rallied 2% to $13.73 perhaps due to the selection of a new chairman-designate who stated that his immediate focus would be centered on finalizing the transaction with Chinalco (Aluminum Corp. of China). Global economic conditions continue to thrash commodity markets and Rio Tinto sees little chance of a rebound this year. Thus, the new chairman (Jan du Plessis) is hoping that finalized deal – which would increase Chinalco’s stake in RIO to 18% – will…
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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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