PAY - VeriFone Systems, Inc. – Shares in electronic payment systems and services provider, VeriFone, are getting slammed on Thursday after the company yesterday forecast third-quarter revenue and earnings well below average analyst estimates. The stock dropped nearly 20% today to $17.70, the lowest level since May of 2010. Shares are currently down 18% on the day at $18.00 as of 11:45 a.m. ET. Traders positioning for shares in VeriFone Systems to extend losses in the near term picked up June and July expiry put options this morning. Put buying at the Jun $16 and $17 strikes position traders to profit from further selling pressure in the shares ahead of expiration in two weeks. It looks like bears purchased around 200 of the Jun $16 strike puts for an average premium of $0.16 each and around 350 of the Jun $17 strike puts at an average premium of $0.37 apiece. Meanwhile, sizable volume in the July expiry puts appears to be the work of one or more traders taking profits and initiating fresh bearish positions on the stock. More than 2,000 puts changed hands at the Jul $23 strike against open interest of 4,106 contracts in the early going this morning. Open interest in the $23 puts increased during the first half of this week, with around 2,500 lots purchased on Monday and Tuesday for an average premium of $1.63 each, according to time and sales data. The sharp drop in the price of the underlying overnight now finds the deep in the money put options changing hands at $4.90 apiece as of midday in New York. Prints in the $23 puts within 10 minutes of the opening bell today indicates traders sold more than 1,400 of the puts for an average premium of $4.55 apiece. Finally, bears anticipating continued weakness in the price of the underlying going forward snapped up 2,000 puts at the Jul $18 strike for an average premium of $1.20 each. Buyers of these contracts stand ready to profit at expiration next month should shares in VeriFone decline another 6.7% from the current level of $18.00…
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