Today’s tickers: GRMN, CELG & GSK
GRMN - Garmin, Ltd. – Bearish options were changing hands on Garmin this morning after the provider of navigation devices and GPS technology reported lower-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings and provided full year 2013 guidance below the consensus estimate. Shares in Garmin fell more than 11% at the start of the session to a new 52-week low of $34.65. Put buying on the stock ahead of Garmin’s fourth-quarter report this morning generated substantial overnight profits for one or more traders today. Open interest in the Mar. $38 strike puts increased 650 contracts following Tuesday’s trading session, and a look back at time and sales data for the $38 puts indicates most of the contracts were purchased for an average premium of $1.46 each. The sharp post-earning pullback in the price of the underlying now finds the Mar. $38 strike puts changing hands at $3.65 each, or more than twice the amount traders paid for the contracts on Tuesday. Meanwhile, options traders initiating bearish positions on Garmin today looked to the Mar. $34 strike, exchanging more than 1,400 puts versus open interest of 672 contracts. It looks like most of the $34 puts were purchased for an average premium of $0.64 apiece. Put buyers may profit at expiration next month should Garmin’s shares slip another 4% to trade below the average breakeven price of $33.36, the lowest level for GRMN shares since October 2011.
CELG - Celgene Corp. – Shares in the maker of cancer drugs are up sharply on Wednesday after the company announced it will buy back $600 million in stock from an unnamed investment bank during the next three months. In June, the biotechnology company approved a $2.5 billion stock buyback program. CELG shares are up better than 2.5% on the day to stand at $103.04 as of 11:35 a.m. ET, after earlier rallying to a record-high of $103.69. Upside call buying on the stock today suggests some options traders are looking for shares in Celgene to extend gains during the next…
This article will become free after 48 hours (see below for free content). To read the rest of this article now, along with Phil's live intra-day comments, live trading ideas, Phil's market calls, additional member comments, and other members-only features - Subscribe to Phil's Stock World by clicking here.
