Today’s tickers: XOM, CIEN & ZAGG
XOM - Exxon Mobil Corp. – Shares in Exxon Mobil are roughly flat on the session, trading 0.10% higher on the day $90.75 as of 10:55 a.m. ET ahead of the company’s fourth-quarter earnings report tomorrow before the open. A large put spread initiated on XOM in the early going today indicates one big options market participant is positioning for the price of the underlying to potentially pullback sharply during the next six months. The trader appears to have purchased a 30,000-lot July $77.5/$87.5 put spread for a net premium of $1.89 apiece. The spread makes money if shares in XOM decline 5.7% from the current price of $90.75 to breach the effective breakeven point on the downside at $85.61. Maximum potential profits of $8.11 per contract are available on the spread should shares in Exxon plunge nearly 15% to $77.50 by July expiration. Interestingly, a similar protective play was established on ConocoPhillips yesterday prior to that company’s earnings release after the close on Wednesday. Shares in Conoco are down roughly 5.0% today at $58.08 after the company’s projection for total production in 2013 was lower than 2012 production. Wednesday’s large COP trade, the purchase of a roughly 50,000-lot $57.5/$47.5 put spread at a net premium of $1.80 each, makes maximum profits of $8.20 per contract should shares in ConocoPhillips drop 18% from the current price of $58.08 to $47.50 by August expiration.
CIEN - Ciena Corp. – Bullish options on Ciena Corp. are changing hands at a clip this morning, with shares in the communications equipment provider up 6.5% on the session to stand at $15.55 as of 11:15 a.m. ET in New York trading. Ciena’s shares are rising in sympathy with JDS Uniphase Corp, after better-than-expected second-quarter earnings released from the company after the close on Wednesday sent its shares up more than 18% today. Ciena reports first-quarter earnings in March, and some traders appear to be establishing bullish bets on the stock to position for shares to extend gains. Upside call buyers looked to the Mar. $16…
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