OKE - ONEOK, Inc. – Shares in ONEOK are ripping higher on Thursday, rallying as much as 22% to a near three-month high of $52.32 during morning trading after the company said it plans to spinoff its natural gas distribution business. Options activity on OKE this morning suggests some traders may be taking profits given the strong move in the shares today. Call open interest in the August expiry options is greatest at the $45 strike, with 5,280 open contracts. A review of time and sales data for the Aug $45 calls indicates most of the contracts were likely purchased for an average premium of $0.525 each the morning of July 8th when shares in OKE were hovering around $39.63. The sharp move in the price of the underlying today pushed premium on the Aug $45 strike calls up to as high as $6.80 during the first half of the session. Upwards of 4,500 of the $45 calls have changed hands today, with the bulk of the volume sold for an average premium of $4.59 each, or roughly nine times as much as the $0.525 average premium paid earlier this month. Meanwhile, options traders positioning for shares in the name to extend gains in the near term snapped up around 1,000 calls at each of the Aug $50 and $55 strikes for average premiums of $1.83 and $0.85 each, respectively. ONEOK is scheduled to report second-quarter earnings after the close on July 30th. Shares in ONEOK are currently off their highest level of the session, but continue to stand up 18.5% on the day at $50.75 as of 12:20 p.m. ET.
STX - Seagate Technology Plc – Options changing hands on Seagate Technology today suggest some traders may be positioning for a near-term rebound in the…
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.
