Today’s tickers: PETM, FURX & SPLS
PETM - PetSmart, Inc. – Shares in the specialty retailer of products and services for pets and their owners fell sharplythis morning on a downgrade to ‘reduce’ from ‘neutral’ at Nomura, with the stock currently trading 7.4% lower on the session at $64.81 as of 11:25 a.m. ET. A sizable bearish options strategy initiated on PetSmart in the early going suggests one trader is bracing for shares to extend declines during the next couple of months. It looks like the strategist purchased a 2,000-lot March $60/$65 put spread for a net premium of $1.55 per contract. The bearish position starts making money if shares in PETM decline 2.1% from the current price of $64.81 to breach the effective breakeven point at $63.45. Maximum potential profits of $3.45 per contract are available on the spread in the event that shares drop more than 7.4% to settle below $60.00 at April expiration. Two weeks ago we noted a similar bear put spread initiated on PETM; the similar-sized position was an April $60/$65 put spread purchased at a net premium of $1.80 per contract. Both positions result in maximum possible profits if shares in PetSmart drop to $60.00 by expiration in March and April.
FURX - Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – Shares in Furiex Pharmaceuticals are soaring today, up 52% to stand at $32.33 just before midday in New York, after the company confirmed that its partner, Japanese firm Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., received approval from the U.S. FDA for three new type 2 diabetes therapies designed to treat the disease in adults in combination with diet and exercise. Furiex options, which typically see daily volume of around 33 contracts on average, are far more active than usual on news of the approval, with volume topping 1,685 contracts during the first half of the session. Put options are more active than calls, with roughly two puts in play for each single call option. The stock this morning rallied 55% to an all-time high of $32.97, but had already started making moves to the upside at…
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