Shares of oil company Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR) have been trending up over the past year, albeit at a slower rate than energy prices. With shares slightly down over the past week as oil has come off its recent highs, one trader is betting on a rebound.
That’s based on the April 8 $13.50 calls. With 17 days left until expiration, 82,213 contracts traded against an open interest of 158, for a 527-fold explosion in volume. The buyer of the calls paid $0.53 to get into the trade.
Shares recently traded for about $13.25, so they would need to rise about 2 percent for the options to move in-the-money. The $13.50 strike price is still well under the stock’s recent 52-week high of just over $15 per share.
The oil giant has seen revenue rise 66 percent in the past year, and rising oil prices have caused the company’s profit margin to soar to over 27 percent. There’s likely more upside in shares, as oil prices are likely to stay higher for longer.
Action to take: Investors may like shares for a speculative oil play here. Shares are low relative to other major oil companies, and the company pays out a variable divined, which should bode well as long as prices stay high.
Traders may like the options. Although they don’t have much time left until expiration, they can likely leverage a short-term move in oil higher for mid-double-digit profits.
Disclosure: The author of this article has a position in the company mentioned here, but may further trade after the next 72 hours. The author receives no compensation from any of the companies mentioned in this article.