Unusual Options Activity: Altice USA (ATUS)

Telecom company Altice USA (ATUS) has been trending up in the past year, and performing well for a telecom. However, at least one trader sees the potential for a big drop. That’s based on the January 2022 $20 puts. With 277 days until expiration, over 10,900 contracts traded from a 115 open interest, for a 95-fold rise in volume. The put buyer paid about $0.50 for each contract. With shares currently near $33.50, shares would need to fall by over $13 ...
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The Best Defense is a Solid Offense, Like a Dividend Growth Play

Earnings season is coming in strong so far, as companies are comparing to the start of the pandemic last year. A reopening economy is also helping. But with stocks already back to all-time highs, investors are starting to worry about possible inflation. That suggests a need to focus on companies that can pass on higher costs to consumers. One such play just reported better-than-expected results. That company? Pepsico (PEP). Besides beating earnings, the company noted that it may not engage in ...
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Unusual Options Activity: Snapchat (SNAP)

Shares of social media firm Snapchat (SNAP) peaked in February before trending down. In the past week, they’ve started moving up again. At least one trader sees a push to new all-time highs. That’s based on the May $62 calls. With shares at $62.01, they’re the at-the-money trade. With 28 days until expiration, over 4,680 contracts traded against a prior open interest of 136, for a 34-fold rise in volume. The buyer of the call paid $5.10 to make the trade. Snapchat next ...
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Bank Earnings Justify Higher Prices for Mega-Firms

A number of big banks reported earnings earlier in the week. All of them beat expectations, although all of the big banks gave Wall Street traders a few cautious items to think about as well. A recovering economy largely helped to reduce reserves, and earnings and revenue were up overall. Of the big banks, Wells Fargo (WFC) looks the most interesting here. The company posted earnings of $1.05 per share, well above estimates of $0.71 per share. The stock has already ...
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Insider Trading Report: PennyMac Financial Services (PFSI)

MFN Partners, a holder with a director stake at PennyMac Financial Services (PFSI), recently bought 94,106 shares. The buy increased the fund’s holding by less than 10 percent, but came to a total purchase price of just over $6 million. The fund made repeat buys back in March, and shares are down high double-digits since then. Overall, insiders tend to be bigger sellers than buyers. Overall, insiders own over 44 percent of shares, so the level of insider selling isn’t ...
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Reopening Delays Bode Well for this On-Sale Sector

A rise in Covid shutdowns internationally, combined with concerns over vaccine safety, may point to a prolonging of a full economic reopening. In any event, the past few weeks have caused a pullback in a number of recently high-flying names. One of those areas is energy. While the sector is still up strongly for the year, the sector as a whole peaked in mid-March and has come back down. It’s starting to look like a solid entry point for long-term investors. For ...
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Insider Trading Report: Super League Gaming Corp (SLGG)

Michael Keller, a director at Super League Gaming Corp (SLGG), recently bought 17,000 shares. The buy increased his stake by over 11 percent, and came to a total cost of just over $103,000. This marks the first insider buy since December 2019. Over the past three years, insiders have all been sellers. That includes director and C-suite executive buys. Overall, insiders own about 12.5 percent of company shares. Super League Gaming is in the video gaming and esports entertainment industry, offering ...
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Unusual Options Activity: Nuance Communications (NUAN)

AI speech company Nuance Communications (NUAN) moved higher on Monday as Microsoft (MSFT) announced it was buying the company. One trader sees the possibility for a bidding war that may lead to a higher price for shares. That’s based on the January 2022 $65 call. Over 5,145 contracts traded after the merger news, a 30-fold rise in the prior open interest of 171 contracts. The buyer of the option paid $0.33 on average to make the trade. The merger news with Nuance ...
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