EXPR – Express, Inc. – Put options changing hands on Express today indicate some traders are bracing for the price of the underlying to potentially drop after the company’s second-quarter earnings report next Wednesday. The stock is currently down 5.0% at $19.50 as of 12:30 p.m. ET. Options traders positioning for shares to extend losses picked up more than 900 in the money puts at the Sep $20 strike during the first half of the trading session for an average premium of $1.13 each. The bearish contracts may be profitable at expiration next month should shares in Express drop more than 3.0% from the current price of $19.50 to breach the average breakeven point on the downside at $18.87. The cost of the $20 puts has increased sharply to $1.80 each this afternoon, moving inversely with the price of the underlying. The Sep $17.5 strike puts also attracted buyers, with more than 210 lots purchased this morning for an average premium of $0.40 per contract. Buyers of the $17.5 puts make money at expiration if shares in the retailer plunge 12% from the current level to trade below $17.10. Shares in EXPR last traded below $17.10 in April.
ANF – Abercrombie & Fitch Co. – Shares in teen retailer, Abercrombie & Fitch Co., are getting slammed on Thursday, dropping 21% during the first half of the session to a nine-month low of $36.71 after the company posted lower than expected second-quarter earnings and sales ahead of the opening bell. Sellers of weekly put options on the stock in the early going this morning are enjoying gains in the value of their positions, with the price of the underlying currently off its lowest level of the session to trade at $38.25 as of 12:15 p.m. ET. It looks like traders positioning…
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