MPEL - Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. – Shares in casino resort operator, Melco Crown Entertainment, are on the rise today, up as much as much as 4.0% during morning trading to a one-month high of $24.79 after the stock was upgraded to ‘Buy’ from ‘Neutral’ at UBS. Trades initiated in MPEL options straight out of the gate this morning indicate one or more strategists are positioning for the price of the underlying to continue higher this week. The most actively traded contracts by volume on the stock today are the Aug 02 ’13 $24 strike calls, with volume in excess of 1,600 lots versus open interest of 201 contracts. Time and sales suggests most of the calls were purchased within seconds of the opening bell for an average premium of $0.37 apiece. The amount of premium required to purchase the $24 strike calls has more than doubled since the start of the session, with the last traded price on the contracts at $0.90 apiece as of 11:45 a.m. ET. The weekly calls expire prior to Melco Crown Entertainment’s second-quarter earnings report scheduled for next Wednesday. Shares in MPEL are up more than 140% since this time last year.
MTOR - Meritor, Inc. – Heavy put trading on truck parts maker, Meritor, Inc., on Tuesday suggests at least one options player is bracing for shares in the name to potentially drop sharply after the company’s third-quarter earnings report ahead of the open tomorrow. Shares in Meritor are up 1.5% on the session at $7.51 as of midday in New York. Bursts of activity in the August and September expiry puts just before 10:45 a.m. ET pushed overall volume in MTOR options up above 5,800 contracts today, a substantial jump in volume as compared to the stock’s average…
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