Trading Tips Blog

Rainer Gawlick, a director at Progress Software Corp (PRGS), recently picked up 1,000 shares of the company. That increased his share count by 3 percent. The buy came to just over $32,000. That makes him the third insider to buy this month, following a CEO buy of 2,700 shares, costing just over $101,000. The company CFO also bought shares on October 1st, picking up 2,622 shares and paying just under $99,000. Insiders at the company were net sellers earlier in the ...
Read More

One trader is betting that shares of Applied Materials (AMAT) will soar in the next two days. That’s because over 6,100 contracts traded on Friday’s $63.50 calls, a 42-fold surge in volume. With shares currently trading around $61.50, the option is about 3.3 percent out-of-the-money. The option buyer paid about $0.30, or $30 per contract. While inexpensive, the option stands a good chance of expiring at zero come Friday. Shares of the chipmaker have traded as high as $70 twice this ...
Read More

At least one trader is betting on a bounce higher in airline manufacturer Boeing (BA) this month. The October 23rd $187.50 calls just saw 1,188 contracts trade. That’s a nine-fold rise in volume over the prior open interest. Shares trade around $171, so would need to rally about 10 percent in the next 17 days for the trade to move in-the-money. That’s no small feat, but shares of the company have been volatile enough that it could happen. The option trader paid ...
Read More

Interest rates are back to zero again, and the Federal Reserve has indicated that it will likely remain that way for years to come. That means investors looking for an income need to move to riskier assets such as stocks. However, in any space, there are winners and losers. In today’s stock market, there are a number of companies still paying strong dividends that aren’t near all-time highs like the big tech names. That’s why Cressent Capital just listed nine dividend ...
Read More

Mark O’Neil, a director at CarMax (KMX), recently picked up 2,700 shares. That buy increased his holdings by 90 percent, and came at a cost of just over $252,000. This marks the first insider buy since back in March. Insiders at the company have generally been sellers of shares, including at prices close to the current price. Shares have just recently come off a 52-week high. The seller of used vehicles has seen a flat performance in the past year, with ...
Read More

While affluent households may have cut back spending this year, chances are their income levels have still held up well. And with many public venues closed or at reduced capacity, some of the income that would have been spent there may get invested into the home. That’s the thesis that Cowen has for its decision to upgrade shares of high-end home décor retailer Restoration Hardware (RH). With their expansion into Europe, the company could be on the cusp of a ...
Read More

The energy space continues to remain out of favor as demand remains low. Traders remain bearish, as indicated by the surge in buying in the January 2021 $17.50 puts on Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A). Over 1,780 contracts traded on Friday, a 15-fold rise in volume. The oil giant’s shares are near $24, so the put buyer needs shares to drop over 25 percent in the next 102 days before the option expires for the trade to move in-the-money. The Anglo-Dutch oil giant ...
Read More

Brett Icahn, a director at Icahn Enterprises (IEP) recently added 202,758 shares to his holdings. The buy increased his holdings by nearly 85 percent and came at a total price tag of $10 million. The buy matches a sale made at the same time by company Chairman Carl Icahn. However, insider trends for the past few years show that insider buys far outnumber sales over the past five years. Icahn Enterprises is the investment vehicle for Carl Icahn, and often invests ...
Read More