Today’s tickers: KORS, APC & GPS
KORS – Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. – Shares in luxury apparel and accessories retailer, Michael Kors Holdings Ltd., are soaring today after the company posted better-than-expected first-quarter earnings and same-store sales and raised its forecast for second-quarter and full year profit. The stock jumped 16% in the first half of the session to an intraday high of $49.12, nearing its post-IPO high of $50.69 reached back in March. One options strategist who initiated a three-legged bullish spread in the September expiry contracts yesterday ahead of the earnings report this morning saw the value of his or her position skyrocket overnight. It appears the trader sold 525 of the Sept. $36 strike put in order to partially offset the cost of buying a 525-lot Sept. $43/$48 call spread. The sale of the $36 puts and the $48 calls reduced the premium required to get long the Sept. $43 strike calls to just $0.70 per contract from the asking price of $2.82 apiece, effectively lowering the breakeven point to $43.70 from $45.82 while limiting profits to a maximum of $4.30 per contract. Shares in the name are currently above $48.00; if the stock exceeds $48.00 at September expiration, the options trader may walk away with the maximum payout available on the spread. Alternatively, the strategist could choose to take substantial profits off the table today or at some future date by buying-to-close the puts and selling-to-close the call spread.
APC – Anadarko Petroleum Corp. – A large call butterfly spread initiated on Anadarko Petroleum Corp. this afternoon suggests one options player is positioning for the price of the underlying to post big gains during the next few months. Shares in the name, up 0.65% on the day at $68.95 as of 12:50 p.m. in New York, have rallied 22% off the June 4th 52-week low of $56.42, though the stock remains down 12% year to date despite the summer rebound. The…
