Unusual Options Activity: First Solar (FSLR)

Alternative energy play First Solar (FSLR) has generally been trending up, although shares recently saw a strong pullback. One trader is betting that the drop is temporary, and shares will trend higher. That’s the logic behind the surge in the December $92.50 calls. Expiring in 29 days, the calls will move in-the-money on a 14 percent rise in shares. Over 8,760 contracts traded, a 25-fold rise in volume from the prior interest near 350. The buyer of the calls paid about $1.38, ...
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This Retail Investor Favorite Still Has Room to Run

It’s sometimes dangerous to follow into a trade that’s popular with retail investors. In a market selloff, they may be quick to send shares lower, and without institutional investors, rallies can be out of proportion to a company’s prospects. But with one tech name reporting massive earnings and sales growth, there’s more room to run, even with so many retail traders loving the stock. With a number of analyst upgrades as well, traders can still play the long-term uptrend. The stock? Nio ...
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Insider Trading Report: Sally Beauty Holdings (SBH)

Christian Brickman, President and CEO of Sally Beauty Holdings (SBH), remelt added 11,350 shares to his holdings. The purchase price came to just over $124,000 and increased his total stake by 2.5 percent. This follows a 10,000 share buy from the CEO in August, around the same time a director picked up shares as well. Insiders have been active throughout the year, with insider buys handily beating insider sales at the company. Shares of the cosmetics firm remain down 40 percent ...
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Insider Trading Report: Avis Budget Group (CAR)

SRS Investment Management, a major holder at Avis Budget Group (CAR), added to their stake with a 149,796 share buy. The purchase increased the fund’s stake in the company by 0.8 percent, and came to a total cost of just over $5.36 million. This marks the fund’s first purchase in over two months. Besides being a regular buyer throughout the past few months, a number of directors bought shares in March. Shares of the car rental firm tanked during the pandemic ...
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This Structural Change Could Lead to a Further 10-15 Percent Rally in this Tech Giant

The stock market is the amalgamation of individual stocks. However, not all stocks are created equal. How a stock is weighted in an index can have a huge impact on the overall returns. That’s why swings in big tech names can increasingly move the market as a whole, up or down. Another factor is whether or not to include a stock in an index. Different indices have different requirements, such as a number of quarters of profitability, before they can be ...
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Unusual Options Activity: Palantir (PLTR)

Big data company Palantir (PLTR), which recently went public, has seen shares rise from an initial price near $9 to over $17 in recent sessions. At least one trader sees that uptrend continuing for some time. That’s based on the March 2021 $18 calls. These near-the-money options saw over 6,000 contracts trade hands, a 55-fold surge from the prior open interest of 109. The trader paid about $3.10 for the calls on average. With a limited history to operate on, shares don’t ...
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Insider Trading Report: Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF.B)

Gordon Crawford, a director at Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF.B), recently bought 200,000 shares of the company. The buy increased his holdings by 330 percent, and came to a total purchase price of just over $1.66 million. Insider data shows that company insiders have largely been buyers over the past two years, with only one insider buy back in 2019. Crawford in particular has been the company’s sole insider buyer of shares in 2020. All told, insiders own just over 2 percent ...
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A Down, But Not Out, Tech Play

While technology companies tend to move up and down in lockstep, there are always a few companies that buck the trend. That occurs as traders perceive a company as falling behind competitors. That may be true for a while, but the history of tech companies is a history of innovating and coming back into the market’s favor. With many tech stocks currently near all-time highs, one down-and-out play actually looks like it could provide strong future returns. That company? Intel (INTC). Shares ...
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