Trading Tips Blog

2020 saw a rapid acceleration of tech trends such as automation and remote work. That trend benefitted the larger area of cloud storage space. That’s helped a number of companies outperform the market this year. Now, Citigroup is upgrading one of the bigger plays in the space. It’s given the stock a street-high rating. And with an expected 20 percent return in 2021, it would add to gains of nearly 40 percent so far this year. That company? Microsoft (MSFT). The ...
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A.B. Krongard, a director at Icahn Enterprises (IEP), recently started a stake at the company. The initial stake was a buy of 16,723 shares. That total purchase price came to just over $836,000. This is the second insider buy of 2020, following Director Brett Icahn picking up shares from chairman of the board Carl Icahn. Aside from that transfer, insiders at the company have been buyers of shares going back the past three years. An industrial conglomerate, Icahn Enterprises owns a ...
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Shares of natural gas fuel play Clean Energy Fuels Corp (CLNE) have been on a tear, more than doubling since early November. At least one trader sees the rally continuing, albeit at a slower rate. That’s based on the January 2022 $10 calls. With shares just under $6, CLNE would need to rally another 70 percent for the trade to move in-the-money. That’s certainly possible in the next 394 days before expiration. Over 4,300 of the contracts traded, a 19-fold rise in ...
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Shares of social media company Snap Inc. (SNAP) have had a strong rally year-to-date. At least one trader sees a pullback in shares by year-end. That’s based on the December 31st $48 puts. With shares trading near $53, they’d need to decline nearly 10 percent for this option to move in-the-money. The buyer paid about $0.45 for the puts. Over 19,970 contracts traded, a 130-fold rise from the prior open interest of 154. This massive rise in volume suggests that shares, Read More

James Kilts, a director at Viatris (VTRS), recently added 27,736 shares. The buy increased his holdings by nearly 75 percent, and came to a total cost of just under $500,000. This is the second insider buy of the year following another purchase from a director in August. There’s also been one sale this year. Insiders have been sellers at higher prices back in 2018 and 2019. The prior insider sales were likely from either Mylan or Pfizer, as those two companies ...
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After Netflix (NFLX) was allowed to dominate the streaming world for nearly a decade, a number of media companies have belatedly created their own services to play on this growing space. The streaming wars have created a multitude of players. Unlike Netflix, most have operations in other areas outside streaming as well, which can create new opportunities in the post-Covid era. That’s particularly true for companies that have highly-profitable operations that can compliment their streaming activities. One such player is Comcast (CMCSA) ...
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Shares of cybersecurity firm FireEye (FEYE) dropped on news of a massive hack before turning around on Friday. At least one trader sees shares moving even higher. That’s based on the January 2021 $19 calls. With 25 days until expiration, over 21,100 contracts traded, a 121-fold rise in volume from the prior open interest of 174. The trader paid about $0.33 for the contracts. With shares jumping to $19 on Friday, the option has become the at-the-money trade. A 30 percent jump in ...
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Dennis Zember, President and CEO of Southern National Bank of Virginia (SONA), just increased his holdings by 200 percent. That came as a result of a 100,000 share buy, which cost the CEO just over $1.1 million. Insider data shows that company directors and C-suite executives alike have been buyers over the past three years. There have only been two sales from a major holder, a capital fund and not a director or executive. The Virginia-based bank provides regional banking services ...
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