Artificial Intelligence developer C3.ai (AI) has had a strong year, with shares up over 90 percent. One trader sees the potential for a pullback in the coming weeks.
That’s based on the December 1 $22 puts. With 16 days until expiration, 3,521 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 101, for a 35-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.20 to make the bearish bet.
Shares recently traded for about $27.50, so shares would need to drop $5.50, or about 20 percent, for the option to move in-the-money.
Such a move is possible in a short period of time, as C3.ai has had considerable volatility this year. The strike price is still well above the stock’s 52-week low of $10.16.
Operationally, shares have done more poorly than their market returns. C3.ai is not yet profitable, and revenues are only up 11 percent compared to a year ago.
Action to take: Shares are volatile, and interested investors can start building a stake in the low-$20 range where shares have spent most of the past few months trading at.
For traders, shares are likely to see some short-term downside, to re-test the low end of their range under $25. The December 1 $22 puts could see a high double-digit jump or better, but likely won’t move in-the-money, so look to take a quick profit from a down day.
Disclosure: The author of this article has a position in the company mentioned here, and may further trade after the next 72 hours. The author receives no compensation from any of the companies mentioned in this article.