Trading Tips Blog

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A), a major holder of Occidental Petroleum (OXY), has made two recent additions to their stake. Over two trades in the past two weeks, the company has bought $258 million of Occidental shares. The most recent prior buy was back in February, the last time shares traded down to the low $60 range. With its latest stake, Berkshire now owns about 28% of Occidental.  There have been no other insiders active over the last two years. Overall, Occidental insiders ...
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Communication equipment producer Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is up nearly 20% over the past year. One trader sees shares surging higher in the months ahead. That’s based on the September $35 calls. With 95 days until expiration, 5,433 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 128, for a 42-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.20 to make the bullish bet. HPE shares recently traded near $22, meaning the stock would need to soar ...
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Usually, when a company breaks to new all-time highs, it’s likely going to trend higher for some time later. That’s especially true when a company can point to a positive trend such as growing earnings, a new product, or a new partnership. Investors who typically might not be interested in a great company at all-time highs can carve out an exception when a great company has made it clear their business is on the rise. That looks like the case with Oracle ...
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Hsenghung Hsu, a director at Fastenal (FAST), recently bought 1,000 shares. The buy increased his position by 33%, and came to a total cost of $63,115. This marks the first insider buy since April, when another director bought 3,350 shares, paying just over $229,000. A few executives have been sellers year-to-date, largely at the EVP level, and all sales have occurred following the exercise of stock options. Overall, Fastenal insiders own 0.2% of shares. The construction supply manufacturer and distributor is up ...
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Copper producer Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) is up 23% over the past year, however shares have recently fallen about 10% from its 52-week high. One trader sees the potential for shares to rebound in the coming weeks. That’s based on the July 5 $52 calls. With 21 days until expiration, 29,520 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 156, for a 189-fold surge in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.66 to make the bullish bet. FCX shares ...
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Some stocks are cyclical, and have big moves within a short period of time. But when the cycle turns, a big winner can become a big market loser. Other companies tend to perform well steadily. While they may not be the market leader, over time, slow-and-steady stocks can compound into big winners. Investors looking for investment opportunities now will want to hold a mix of both to best profit from market trends. One slow and steady investment is insurance companies. These companies ...
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Darrell Bracken, President and CEO of VFC Corp (VFC), recently bought 75,200 shares. The buy increased his position by 52%, and came to a total cost of $997,408. This is the first insider buy since February, when a director bought 20,000 shares, paying $310,620 to do so. Other directors have been buyers over the past year, with one buying 40,000 shares. Over the past two years, there has been one insider sale for just four shares. Overall, VFC insiders own 0.9% ...
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Theater chain operator Cinemark Holdings (CNK) has dropped 9% over the past year, as consumers have largely spent their money on other leisure activities. One trader sees the potential for shares to rally over the summer. That’s based on the July 19 $19 calls. With 36 days until expiration, 12,768 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 145, for an 88-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.40 to make the bullish bet. Cinemark ...
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