Unusual Options Activity: Antero Resources Corporation (AR)

Shares of oil and gas exploration company Antero Resources Corporation (AR) are up over 240 percent in the past year. One trader sees a further rally in the months ahead. That’s based on the November $45 calls. With 197 days until expiration, 26,695 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 550, for a 49-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $4.80 to make the bet. The stock recently traded for around $37, so shares ...
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For Complex Companies, Break It Down into Parts to Find Potential Bargains Now

Many companies offer just one product or service. Some of today’s large companies, however, offer many services and products (or even both). That’s especially true in the tech space, where rapid changes result in continued ongoing sales and support. Some of these companies have a number of businesses that could be broken out into separate parts. And right now, this “sum of the parts” analysis is starting to show that it may be time to start dipping a toe into some ...
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Insider Trading Report: Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL)

Kelly Ardrey, Chief Accounting Officer at Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL), recently picked up 3,000 shares. The buy increased her stake by 97 percent, and came to a total purchase price just over $236,000. This is the first buy at the company since early March, when the CFO picked up 2,000 shares, and the Executive Chairman bought 25,000 shares at a cost of just over $1.9 million. Going further back, there have been both purchases and sales by insiders over the past three ...
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Unusual Options Activity: Comcast Corporation (CMCSA)

Shares of cable provider Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) hit a 52-week low on Monday before turning higher. But one trader is betting that the stock will continue to decline in the months ahead. That’s based on the October $30 puts. With 170 days left, 16,266 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 894, for an 18-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.93 to enter the trade. Shares just traded near $40, so they would ...
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Look Beyond One-Time Events for Long-Term Winners

Life is complex. A company that is executing a long-term plan may have to contend with short-term unexpected events. At one point or another, every company hits an unexpected snag and has to report a one-time problem. Sure, for some companies, those one-time events seem to occur more often than others. For others, they truly are unusual events likely to become a distant memory as long-term plans play out. For instance, many companies are taking a one-time hit right now due to ...
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Insider Trading Report: Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (CLF)

Celso Goncalves, CFO at Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF), recently picked up 4,000 shares. The buy increased his holdings by nearly 3 percent, and came to a total price just over $105,000. The buy comes three days after another company insider, an EVP, picked up 4,500 shares, paying just over $122,000. Going back further, insiders have been regular buyers, with a few insider sales only as recently as last June. Overall, company insiders own 1.3 percent of shares. The steel producer has seen shares soar ...
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Unusual Options Activity: Robinhood Markets (HOOD)

Shares of app brokerage Robinhood Markets (HOOD) have seen shares slide nearly 90 percent from their 52-week high as a slowing market has caused retail traders to scale back their activities. One trader sees a further decline ahead. That’s based on the August $8 puts. With 108 days until expiration, 10,650 contracts traded compared to an open interest of 200, for a 53-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $1.04 to enter the trade. Shares recently ...
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Stick With Quality Companies in Tough Markets

When the stock market is rallying, it can be tough to find a stock to buck the trend. But when markets are skeptical of any economic growth, buying tried-and-true companies being sold off with the speculative names can be a winning strategy. That tends to mean investing in companies of quality. That can mean being in an industry with few competitors, or having a business model that can profit in any economic environment. Defense contractors are one such area for investors to ...
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