10 Stocks With Unusual Options Activity (JWN, BBRY, JBLU, & more)

It’s time to review several stocks that had unusual options activity over the last week. Although traders can never be sure why these trades take place (and who’s making them), I believe it’s important to be aware of notable options activity as an indicator for directional bias.

Here’s a weekly recap of 10 stocks that had unusual options activity and what, if any, significance these trades may have.

Unusual Options Activity: 10 Stocks With Notable Trades

TUESDAY

Pinnacle Foods (NYSE:PF) – 1,300+ Feb 17 2017 $57.50 calls traded with the majority being bought for $0.55. Last January, Pinnacle acquired the health food company, Boulder Brands, for $975M. The deal has not just contributed to top line results, but is likely to add $0.08-$0.10 per share to FY 2016 earnings.

PF shares have steadily been trending upward since going public in 2013. … Read More »

Unusual Options Activity

BlackBerry (BBRY)- A rollout from 9,400 June 19 $11 puts ($1.70 credit) into 15,000 July 17 $10 puts ($1.01 debit). There were similar bearish rolls last week. BlackBerry earnings are due out on June 23rd.
B/E Aerospace (BEAV)- 2,000 Jan 2016 $70 calls were purchased for $0.60. Shares were last at $70 back in May of 2014. Last year, management talked about the sale of the company.
Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD)- The Jan 2016 $110/$130 bull risk reversal was put on 2,500 times for a $1.80 debit. 3G Capital is reportedly interested in acquiring Diageo (they already own a sizable stake in AB InBev).
Cerus (CERS)- 3,000 Nov $5 puts were sold for $0.51-$0.54. They announced a new Chief Medical Officer on June 8th. The stock broke out above $5 early this month.

C&J Energy Services (CJES)- The July $12/$14 bear … Read More »

Unusual Options Activity: BBRY, HLT, RHT, And More

(This post was originally published on See It Market on June 15th)

It’s time to review several stocks that had unusual options activity over the last week. Although traders can never be sure why these trades take place (and who’s making them), I believe it’s important to be aware of notable options activity as an indicator for directional bias.

Here’s a weekly recap of 10 stocks that had unusual options activity and what, if any, significance these trades may have.

Unusual Options Activity: 10 Stocks With Notable Trades

Monday

Red Hat (RHT) – 2,000 July $80 calls were bought for $2.85-$3.10. Earnings are due out on June 18th (shares have moved higher on 3 out of the last 4 reports).

Tuesday

Whole Foods Market (WFM) – 3,500+ June 19 $40 calls were purchased for $0.44-$0.69. Implied … Read More »

Smart Money Report

BBRY- A rollout from 30,000 Dec 20 $10 puts (credit) into 30,000 Feb 2015 $10 puts (debit). Volume was above the open interest in the Feb 2015 $10 puts. Earnings are due out tomorrow morning. BlackBerry shares have moved higher after earnings on 4 out of the last 7 reports, which could be why they are rolling out the trade to February.
COP- A rollout from 15,000 Jan 17 2015 $67.50 calls (credit) into 30,000 Jan 17 2015 $70 calls (debit). Volume was above the open interest in the Jan 17 2015 $70 calls. Despite the weakness in oil prices today, ConocoPhillips is up over 2% and nearing a retest of the 50-day exponential moving average.
FEYE- The June 2015 $35/$45 call spread was put on 4,000 times for a $2.00 debit. Volume was above the open interest in both … Read More »

Smart Money Report

BBRY- 10,000 Jan 2015 $11 calls were bought for $1.11 each, against open interest of 20,427 contracts. This was tied to a sale of 550,000 BlackBerry shares for $11.14. The call to put ratio is 5:1. Shares of (BBRY) are trying to breakout above the $11.00-$11.50 resistance level.
FTNT- The Nov $27/$29 call spread was closed out 15,000 times for a $0.50 credit. This trade in Fortinet was put on for a $0.48-$0.50 debit on October 21st. (FTNT) shares are at a new 52-week high today.
JD- The Jan 2015 $25/$29 bull risk reversal was put on 4,000 times for a $0.40 debit. Volume was above the open interest in both options. JD.com Q3 earnings are due out on November 17th.
SFM- A rollout from 5,000 Nov $30 calls (credit) into 5,000 Dec $30 calls (debit). Volume was above the open … Read More »

Smart Money Report

AAPL- Over 24,000 Sep. $105 calls have traded today with the majority being purchased for $0.80-$0.85 each, against open interest of 1,063 contracts. The call to put ratio is nearly 3:1. Implied volatility rose 8.8% to 21.93. Apple will report earnings on 7/23.
BBRY- 10,000 Jan. 2015 $9 puts were sold for $0.91 each, against open interest of 1,446 contracts. BlackBerry has support at the $9 level on the daily chart with no major resistance until $10.85-$10.90.
CNP- Sizable buying in the July $25 and $26 calls this morning. Call activity was over 3x the average daily volume. Implied volatility rose 18.9% to 28.44. The stock is breaking out above the $25.29 resistance level from 5/1. (CNP) trades at a P/E ratio of 20.60x (2015 estimates) with 6.9% EPS growth, 2.2% revenue growth, P/S ratio of 1.23x, 3.71% dividend yield, … Read More »

Smart Money Report

SHLD- Sears is set to announce Q1 earnings before the bell tomorrow morning. Analysts are looking for -$1.77 in EPS and revenue of $7.7 billion. Option traders are pricing in a $5.75 move, or 15.73%, in either direction through June options expiration. The put to call ratio in (SHLD) options is currently 1.54, led by a seller of 3,000 July $32 puts for $1.75 each. There has sizable June call buying in recent weeks too. The stock has dropped after earnings on five out of the last six reports.
BBRY- 9k Sep. $7 puts were sold for $0.63 each, against open interest of 58,634 contracts. Earnings are due out on 6/19. The stock retested the $7 level in April and held as support.
CLF- A rollout from 17,820 July $18 puts (credit) into 25,034 Aug. $16 puts (debit). Volume was … Read More »

Unusual Options Activity

In today’s Unusual Options Activity Report we highlight a put seller in BlackBerry (BBRY) and a put rollout in Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF).

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Smart Money Report

BBRY- 10,000 Apr. 11 weekly $8 calls were purchased for $0.42 each, against open interest of 844 contracts.
BWP- A rollout from 11,468 June $12.50 calls (credit) into 22,048 Sep. $15 calls (debit). Volume was above the open interest in the Sep. $15 calls. Earnings are due out on 4/28.
DG- A rollout from 40,558 Aug. $60 calls (credit) into 40,558 Aug. $57.50 calls (debit). Volume was above the open interest in the Aug. $57.50 calls.
HD- A rollout from 7,699 Apr. 4 weekly $79 puts (debit) into 7,699 May 9 weekly $79 puts (credit). Volume was above the open interest in the May 9 weekly $79 puts.
VIX- The June $20/$35 call spread was put on 23,000 times for a $0.80 debit. Volume was above the open interest in the June $35 calls.

Free Trial: If you would like to know more … Read More »

Unusual Options Activity

In today’s Unusual Options Activity Report we highlight BlackBerry (BBRY) and Restoration Hardware (RH) ahead of earnings.

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 Smart Money Report

FCX- Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold will report Q4 earnings before the bell tomorrow morning. Analysts are looking for $0.81 in EPS and revenue of $6.4 billion. The options market is implying a $1.32 move, or 3.72%, in either direction through Friday’s close. Call to put ratio in (FCX) options is currently 1.03, led by activity in the Jan. 24 weekly $33.50 puts.
TXN- Texas Instruments is set to announce Q4 earnings after the bell tonight. Analysts are looking for $0.46 in EPS and revenue of $3.0 billion. Option traders are pricing in a $1.42 move, or 3.24%, in either direction through Friday’s close. The put to call ratio in (TXN) options is 1.54, led by a buyer of 5,500 Feb. $45 calls for $0.46 each.
BAC- The Aug. $15/$20 bear risk reversal was put on 20k times for a $0.12 … Read More »

 Unusual Options Activity

In today’s Unusual Options Activity Report we highlight a bear risk reversal in Bank of America (BAC) and call buying in BlackBerry (BBRY).

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Smart Money Report

BBRY- BlackBerry will report Q3 earnings before the bell tomorrow morning. Analysts are looking for -$0.44 in EPS and revenue of $1.6 billion. The options market is implying a $0.62 move, or 10.06%, in either direction through Friday’s close. The call to put ratio in (BBRY) options is 1.69.
NKE- Nike will release Q2 earnings after the bell tonight. Analysts are looking for $0.58 in EPS and revenue of $6.4 billion. Option traders are pricing in a $3.40 move, or 4.35%, in either direction through Friday’s close. Call to put ratio in (NKE) options is currently 1.31.
A- The May 2014 $52.50/$60 bull risk reversal was put on 3k times for a $0.81 debit. Volume was above the open interest in both options.
ORCL- 13,989 Feb. 2014 $38 calls were purchased for $0.38 each, against open interest of 380 contracts.
AAPL- Apple … Read More »

Smart Money Report

KBH- KB Home will report Q4 earnings before the bell tomorrow morning. Analysts are looking for $0.45 in EPS and revenue of $663 million. The options market is implying a $0.90 move, or 5.03%, in either direction. Call to put ratio in (KBH) options is currently 1.14.
ORCL- Oracle is set to announce Q2 earnings after the bell tonight. Analysts are looking for $0.67 in EPS and revenue of $9.2 billion. Option traders are pricing in a $1.54 move, or 4.49%, in either direction. The call to put ratio in (ORCL) options is 1.28, led by a seller of 3,000 Feb. 2014 $34 calls for $1.26 each.
BBRY- 10,000 Jan. 3 weekly $6.50 calls were sold for $0.25 each, against open interest of 1,318 contracts. Earnings are due out on Friday.
WETF- 16k Jan. 2014 $17.50 puts were purchased for $1.20 … Read More »

 Unusual Options Activity

In today’s Unusual Options Activity Report we highlight a large put buyer in WisdomTree Investments (WETF) and a call seller in BlackBerry (BBRY).

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 Smart Money Report

TSLA- Tesla Motors is set to announce Q3 earnings after the bell tonight. Analysts are looking for $0.10 in EPS and revenue of $535 million. The options market is implying a $21.00 move, or 12.10%, in either direction through Friday’s close. Call to put ratio in (TSLA) options is currently 1.31.
Z- Zillow will also be releasing Q3 results tonight after the bell. Analysts are looking -$0.08 in EPS and revenue of $51.4 million. Options traders are pricing in a $8.30 move, or 10.20%, in either direction through Friday’s close. The put to call ratio in (Z) options is 1.29.
BBRY- 7k Feb. 2014. $6 calls were purchased for $1.32 each, against open interest of 11 contracts.
IGT- 6,000 Nov. $19 puts were sold for $0.90 each, against open interest of 2,259 contracts. Earnings are due out on 11/07.
AAPL- Apple shares … Read More »

 Unusual Options Activity

In today’s Unusual Options Activity Report we highlight a large put seller in International Game Technology (IGT) and big call buying in BlackBerry (BBRY).

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Smart Money Report

K- Kellogg is set to announce Q3 earnings before the bell on Monday morning. Analysts are looking for $0.90 in EPS and revenue of $3.7 billion. The options market is implying a $1.85 move, or 2.96%, in either direction through November options expiration. Put to call ratio in (K) options is currently 1.65.
SYY- Sysco will also release results on Monday morning. Analysts are looking for $0.48 in EPS and revenue of $11.7 billion. Options traders are pricing in a $1.50 move, or 4.65%, in either direction through November options expiration. The put to call ratio in (SYY) options is 2.61.
BBRY- 11,500 Nov. 8 weekly $8 calls were bought for $0.32 each, against open interest of 3,576 contracts.
HPQ- A rollout from 6k Nov. $24 calls (credit) into 6k Nov. $26 calls (debit). Volume was below the open interest on … Read More »

Unusual Options Activity

In today’s Unusual Options Activity Report we highlight large weekly call buying in BlackBerry (BBRY) and a call rollout in Hewlett-Packard (HPQ).

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 Free Trade of the Day
EMC Corp. (EMC)

EMC Corp. (EMC) Options Trade Idea

Buy the (EMC) Sep. $26/$27 Call Spread for a $0.32 debit or better

(Buying the Sep. $26 Call and selling the Sep. $27 Call, all in one trade)

Stop loss- None

Upside target- $0.80-$1.00

Updates: BlackBerry (BBRY) shares fell 2.75% today, but remain above the $10 support level. Shares of Groupon (GRPN) finally put in a bottom, rising 2.95% today. Check out the Free Trade of the Day from Monday for the options trade idea.

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