Today’s tickers: RIMM, HRB, CAT, DF, XLE, SKS, OCR & NEM
RIMM – Research in Motion, Ltd. – Shares in BlackBerry maker, Research in Motion Ltd., took a severe beating today after a Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd. survey revealed more firms are choosing rival devices such as the iPhone, a sign the firm is relinquishing its share of the corporate market to its competitors. RIMM’s shares dropped 6.30% to an intraday- and new 52-week low of $42.72 in the final hour of trading. The price of the underlying stock, which reached a 13-month high of $88.08 on September 23, 2009, has since collapsed 51.5% lower to reach today’s value of $42.72. But, one options trader populating the longer-dated January 2011 contract today positioning for RIMM’s shares to nearly halve again by expiration. The investor initiated a bearish put butterfly spread, buying 1,100 puts at the January 2011 $27.5 strike for premium of $0.80 apiece, selling 2,200 puts at the January 2011 $22.5 strike for premium of $0.37 per contract, and buying 1,100 puts at the January 2011 $17.5 strike for premium of $0.18 each. The net cost of the spread amounts to $0.24 per contract. The investor stands prepared to accumulate profits if shares of the mobile device maker plummet 36.2% from the current price to breach the effective breakeven point at $27.26 by expiration day. Maximum potential profits of $4.76 per contract are safe inside the trader’s piggybank if the Canadian company’s shares collapse 47.3% lower to settle at $22.50 at expiration. The majority of options traders populated the near-term September contract where the September $40/$42.5/$45 strike puts were the most active.
HRB – H&R Block, Inc. – Bearish investors bombarded the provider of tax, banking, business and consulting services in afternoon trading after Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services lowered its rating outlook on the company to stable from positive. The downgrade weighed heavily on HRB’s shares, which fell as much as 6.20% to an intraday- and new 52-week low of $12.54. Shares are currently down 4.95% at $12.71 with one hour remaining before the closing bell. Given the new 52-week low of $12.54, HRB’s shares are down 21.5% since trading at $15.97 on August 2, 2010. The stock has lost a total of 46.15% of its value since January 21, 2010, when shares reached the current 52-week high of $23.29. Investors wary of continued bearish movement in the price of the…
