Today’s tickers: S, VOD, ENER, KFT, FDX, HNT & FXI
S– A sold straddle in the November contract on Sprint today suggests that at least one investor is hoping to see shares settle at $4.00 when options expire in just over two months. The stock has surrendered 1.5% of its value to stand at the current price of $3.75. The short straddle was established at the November 4.0 strike through the sale of 10,000 calls for 40 cents apiece and the sale of 10,000 puts for 60 cents apiece. The gross premium pocketed by the investor amounts to one dollar per contract and is retained in full as long as shares rise to $4.00. The short call and put positions will result in losses for the straddle-seller if shares of Sprint surpass the breakeven point to the upside at $5.00, or if the stock falls beneath the breakeven point to the downside at $3.00, by expiration in November. – Sprint Nextel Corp. –
VOD– The telecommunications company appeared on our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner after investors used put options to get bullish on the stock in the January contract. VOD received an upgrade to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ at Investec, which perhaps spurred the more than 2.5% rally in shares during the trading session to $22.66. Traders expecting continued upward momentum in the stock were seen selling approximately 5,300 puts short at the January 22.5 strike price for an average premium of 1.72 apiece. Investors will retain the full amount of premium received if shares of VOD remain higher than $22.50 through expiration. Individuals short the put options bear the risk of having shares of the underlying put to them at an effective price of $20.78. Shares of VOD would be put to the traders if the put options land in-the-money with shares trading beneath $22.50. – Vodafone Group PLC –
ENER– Shares of the energy firm have surged more than 21% during the session to $12.64 prompting bullish call buying action in the front month. Some investors targeted the now in-the-money September 11 strike where 4,000 calls were picked up for an average premium of 61 cents each. Traders holding these call options have already begun to accumulate profits of approximately 1.03 because shares are currently trading above the effective breakeven point on the transaction at $11.61. Nearly 6,000 calls were coveted at the higher September 12.5 strike price where…
