Trading Tips Blog

Many companies hire as they need to when growing like gangbusters. But when things go down, it’s a time to assess the size of a company and its needs, no matter what sector it’s in. For some companies, the worst bloat can come from its executive offices. The growth of middle management can cause a big payroll expense to build up, and take away capital from lower-level workers that make a company’s success possible. That’s why a number of big-name, labor-intensive companies ...
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Lawrence Cheng, a director at GameStop Corp. (GME), recently bought 5,000 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 13 percent, and came to a total cost of $113,900. The buy came a year after another director bought 1,500 shares, paying just under $195,000. Over the past two years, insider buys have far exceeded insider sales, including a 100,000 share buy from the company’s chairman just over a year ago. Overall, insiders own 15.5 percent of shares. The video game retailer has slid ...
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Major oil and gas producer ConocoPhillips (COP) jumped over 9 percent on Monday as oil prices rallied on news of OPEC cuts. One trader sees shares continuing higher in the coming weeks. That’s based on the April 28 $107 calls. With 23 days until expiration, 11,135 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 109, for a 102-fold jump in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $4.55 to make the bullish bet. Shares last went for just ...
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The end of the first quarter of the year saw the Nasdaq rebound more than 20 percent off of its lows from last year. Technically, that means the index is in a new bull market. And that’s no surprise when looking at some of last year’s hardest-hit tech stocks. A few have managed to nearly double off their lows. And they could move higher, as the flood of money hasn’t hit this space yet. One company that’s benefited from this trend is ...
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Earl Jackson, a director at Main Street Capital Corp (MAIN), recently added 3,000 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 5 percent, and came to a total cost of $117,600. The director was also the last buyer of shares nearly a year ago, again picking up 3,000 shares. Over the past two years, there have been more insider sales than purchases, including a 100,010 sale by the company CEO in early 2022. Overall, insiders own 4.4 percent of the company. The business ...
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Regional bank Valley National Bancorp (VLY) has seen shares slide 25 percent in the past few weeks amid fears in the banking sector. One trader sees further downside ahead for the stock. That’s based on the September $5 puts. With 163 days until expiration, 9,954 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 265, for a 38-fold jump in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.48 to make the bearish bet. Shares recently traded just over ...
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Some companies tend to be growth plays. Others can be steady. A few are more cyclical, having obvious booms and busts. Tech companies that fall out of favor can become cyclical companies, provided they manage to find new products to invest in to get back on the growth track, even if it’s just for a few years. Playing this cycle can lead to bigger returns than buying and holding, particularly if buying near the start of a new cycle higher. Chipmakers tend ...
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Paul Donahue, CEO at Genuine Parts Company (GPC), recently bought 1,600 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 1 percent, and came to a total cost of $249,728. This is the first buy at the company in over a year. Last year, one director bought over 1,600 shares, paying just over $200,000, on two separate occasions. Over the past two years, there has been only one insider sale. All told, insiders at the auto parts retailer own 0.3 percent of shares. A ...
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