Trading Tips Blog

Markets are cyclical, and often so are companies. A great product or service won’t last forever. Once the market has been saturated, new products or features are needed to keep revenues growing at a company. For tech companies, this constant iteration is fantastic. It’s inexpensive to develop new ideas and roll them out. And for many tech services, new features can be added while keeping customers on a monthly payment plan. So it’s no surprise that a number of activist investors are ...
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William Hosler, a director at PacWest Bancorp (PACW), recently bought 3,750 shares. The buy increased his stake by 7 percent, and came to a total cost of $99,300. The director was the last buyer as well, with an 8,000 share pickup for $200,000 last June. The company’s CEO has sold shares twice since then, but still owns over 1 million shares of the company in total. Company insiders own 1.8 percent of shares. The California-based bank is down about 43 percent in ...
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Shares of apparel manufacturing company V.F. Corporation (VFC) are down about 55 percent over the past year. One trader sees further downside in the next three months. That’s based on the May $22.50 puts. With 95 days until expiration, 20,019 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 245, for an 82-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.98 to make the bearish bet. Shares recently traded for about $26, so the stock would need ...
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Customers will pay more for a brand-name product that they know and love. That’s true with everything from home goods to restaurants, and even to choices of entertainment. A company that invests in building a strong brand can create excess returns for shareholders over time. But even great companies will see setbacks. That can create reasonable buying opportunities to get in on the long-term wealth-creation benefits of owning great companies. That may be the case with Activision Blizzard (ATVI). The company owns ...
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Peter Henry, a director at Nike (NKE), recently bought 557 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 16 percent, and came to a total cost of about $70,000. This is the first buy at the company since last June, when another director picked up 10,000 shares for $1.03 million. Those mark the only insider buys over the past two years. Otherwise, a few company executives have been slight sellers of shares, mostly as stock options are exercised. Overall, company insiders own ...
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Shares of lithium mining company Sigma Lithium (SGML) are up 174 percent over the past year, thanks to a view by investors that rising electric vehicle production will require more of the metal. One trader sees the stock cooling off in the months ahead. That’s based on the July $22.50 puts. With 161 days until expiration, 3,100 contracts traded compared to a prior interest of 113, for a 27-fold rise in volume. The buyer of the puts paid $1.78. Shares recently ...
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The past few years has seen investors shift interest first towards alternative and green energy plays, and then away from them. That’s due to a view that the technology could be scaled up quickly. But that may not be the reality. That’s led to a strong performance in the energy sector, and one that’s likely to continue. It’s being aided by companies announcing that they’re scaling back their alternative energy investments. The latest company to scale back its alternative energy plans is ...
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Terrell Crews, CFO at NextEra Energy (NEE), recently bought 2,672 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 8 percent, and came to a total cost of $200,000. He was joined by two directors, one picked up 4,000 shares for just under $300,000 and more than doubled his stake. Another bought 1,000 shares for just under $75,000. Overall, insiders have been more active as buyers than sellers over the past few years. Overall, company insiders own 0.2 percent of shares. The utility company ...
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