Trading Tips Blog

Bradford Phillips, a director at American Realty Investors (ARL), recently bought 2,000 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 46 percent, and came to a total cost of $40,000. This is the third time the director has bought shares in the past year, following two buys in the $35,000 range in the fall. There have been no other insider buys, or insider sales, over the past two years. Even with that lack of activity, company insiders own about 91 percent of ...
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Business development company Hercules Technology Growth Capital (HTGC) has slid nearly 30 percent over the past year. One trader sees a similar drop occurring over the next few months. That’s based on the October $10 puts. With 178 days until expiration, 7,622 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 170, for a 45-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.60 to make the bearish bet. Shares last went for about $13, so the stock ...
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Investors often take a current trend and extrapolate it to extremes. That’s why the end of a bull market has a lot of valuations that seem ridiculous in hindsight. And why there are many bargains at the end of a bear market. That trend can also play out with quarterly earnings. A company’s growth may slow or stall out in a quarter, but markets may try and extend that trend out indefinitely. That can create short and long-term opportunities. For instance, last ...
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John Donovan, a director at Lockheed Martin (LMT), recently bought 506 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 22 percent, and came to a total purchase price of $250,556. This adds to the 556 shares the director bought back in January… and on 4 other occasions over the past year. These mark the only buys at the company. A number of insiders have been moderate sellers of shares over the past year, including Lockheed’s Treasurer and the company COO. Overall, insiders ...
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Drug manufacturer Pfizer (PFE) has seen shares slide nearly 20 percent to 52-week lows in the past few months. One trader sees a longer-term rebound for shares ahead. That’s based on the December 2025 $40 calls. With 970 days until expiration, 2,009 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 116, for a 17-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $5.58 to make the bullish bet. Shares traded just under $40, making this an at-the-money ...
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Consumer spending may be slowing… but it’s also a huge chunk of the economy. And no matter how bad things slow down, there are still many goods that people will need to buy. That may be bad news for those who make higher-end goods. Ultra-wealthy consumer unaffected by the economy can only buy so much for themselves. That leaves companies that offer the best bargains for consumers as the top way to play current economic trends. For the apparel space, off-price retailers ...
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David Taylor, a director at Delta Air Lines (DAL), recently bought 5,000 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 9 percent, and came to a total cost of $167,805. This marks the first insider buy since January, when another director bought 12,880 shares at a cost of just over $496,000. A few company executives have been sellers of shares so far this year, including the company’s President, on two separate occasions. Overall, insiders own 0.3 percent of the airline's shares. Delta shares ...
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Document management company Xerox Holdings Corporation (XRX) have been trading in a range for most of the past year. One trader sees shares continuing to trend toward the lower end of that range in the weeks ahead. That’s based on the May $14 puts. With 28 days until expiration, 4,247 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 119, for a 36-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.60 to make the bearish bet. Shares ...
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