Trading Tips Blog

Executive Chairman makes $21.7 million buy.
On Wednesday, Executive Chairman David Smith bought 395,000 shares of the company he runs,
Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBGI). The total cost to buy those shares came in just over $21.7 million. It also raises his total share could to just over six million shares, representing about an 8 percent increase in his total stake. Smith is a major holder with over 10 percent of the company as well. Sinclair operates a television broadcasting company, with over 191 stations ...
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Big bet hotel chain will rally into 2020.
The hospitality industry has faced some significant headwinds in recent years, but that’s not stopping one trader from betting on a rally in
Host Hotels & Resorts (HST). On Wednesday, over 10,500 contracts of the January 2020 $20 calls on shares traded hands. That represents a 31-fold increase in volume on the contract. With shares around $18, the move is a bet that shares will move at least 10 percent higher by the time the ...
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Activist investor adds $2 million to existing stake. On Tuesday, activist investor Ron Perelman revealed the additional purchase of 1.2 million shares in a company he already owns more than 10 percent of,
vTv Therapeutics (VTVT). Perelman now owns over 20.2 million shares of the company. The shares were purchased at an average price of $1.65, but shares currently trade around $1.45, so anyone looking to piggyback on the billionaire investor can get a bargain here. The company may not be for all investors, ...
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Majority owner and manager adds to stake.
On Monday, iStar, the majority owner of
Safehold (SAFE), added to their stake. As the majority owner of the company already, and the manager of Safehold, the move is an indication that shares of the company remain undervalued. iStar picked up an additional 15,000 shares, representing a cost of about $468,000. This buy leaves iStar with over 20.6 million shares of Safehold. The buys occurred with shares at a 52-week high, another unusual sign but another vote ...
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Big bet on massive rally in energy company.
While the summer is typically a slow season for stocks, one trader is betting on a big move in shares of
Hess (HES). With shares currently around $61, there’s been a surge in trading on the January 2020 $80 calls, indicating a 30 percent upside in shares between now and January. Over 16,000 of those contracts traded on Tuesday, about a 20-fold increase in volume for prior trading. Hess is an explorer and producer of oil ...
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Director buys over $900,000 in shares.
Insiders have been a bit more active in the leisure space lately. Besides some of the insider buys we’ve seen in the casino industry, we’re now seeing insiders buy in the leisure travel space. On Wednesday July 3rd, director Randall Weisenburger bought 20,000 shares of the company he sits on the board of,
Carnival Corp (CCL). This is a 20 percent increase in his stake, and he paid about $930,000 to make the deal. Weisinburger’s buy comes after ...
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Big bearish bet on tech giant in the next month.
Shares of
Apple (AAPL) sold off Monday on a major downgrade, citing the company’s “fundamental deterioration.” Naturally, some traders saw that as an opportunity to sell shares—at least in the short-term. That explains the 100-fold increase in volume on the August 2nd $185 puts on the company. With shares of Apple trading just under $200, this is a bet on about a 7.5 percent decline between now and expiration in 25 days. Apple is ...
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Big bet on social media company rallying in the next month. Shares of social media companies have underperformed the broad market. Between a slowdown in user growth and privacy concerns, they don’t look like the most attractive investment. Yet shares of these companies are off their recent lows—and at least one trader is betting on a big move higher. Last Friday saw a surge in volume on the July 26th $19 call options on
Snapchat (SNAP). With shares trading around $15, that’s a bet ...
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