Trading Tips Blog

Shares of
American Airlines (AAL) have outperformed the market in recent months, even with a more recent pullback. News of a Covid vaccine could mean a quick return to air travel. But at least one trader thinks the current move is overdone, and a pullback is likely. That’s based on the August 2021 $12 puts. Expiring in 227 days, and with shares at $15, the trade would move in-the-money on a 20 percent pullback in shares. The option saw over 10,100 contracts trade ...
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A number of companies were obvious beneficiaries from the pandemic. Work-from-home trends were the clear winners. But consumer spending changed in other ways as well. For instance, spending on business apparel dropped and sales rose on more comfortable apparel (especially items that wouldn’t be seen during a Zoom meeting). But despite the rising trend of athletic and leisure ware, many of these names have seen strong growth but a relatively poor stock performance. That seems to be the case with
Under Armour (UA) ...
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Ronald Sargent, a director at grocery chain
The Kroger Company (KR), recently bought 3,200 shares. The buy increased his holdings by just under 3 percent, and came to a total cost of just over $101,000. This buy marked the only time a company insider bought shares in 2020. Insiders were generally sellers, with the last insider buy occurring in July 2019. Shares of the chain had a strong year as the grocer benefited from pandemic-related shopping trends. Shares of the grocery chain ...
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Shares of
Yandex (YNDX), an information technology and search engine company serving the Russian market, have been rallying with the overall market. At least one trader sees that uptrend continuing. That’s based on the May 2021 $75 call option. Over 2,800 contracts traded against a prior open interest of 132, for a 21-fold rise in volume. With shares at $69, it’s a bet on shares moving at least $6 higher in the next five months. The buyer paid about $4.60 for the calls ...
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A number of companies focus on one product or service. Those concentrating in areas affected by travel bans and small businesses fared poorly in 2020. But with an end in sight, these underperforming names may thrive in the coming year. That’s also true for companies that service these firms. One such name?
American Express (AXP). The credit card company caters to a more affluent crowd, like those that travel and own small businesses. It’s one of the few big-name financials to see shares ...
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Russell Ellett, a director at
Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp (AUB), has made multiple buys in the past few weeks. On December 29th, he bought 3,000 shares, paying just over $98,000. That follows on a similar 3,000 share buy on the 23rd that cost just over $96,000. It’s the first insider buy at the bank since mid-2018. A number of directors and C-suite executives have been sellers, largely in 2020 at lower prices. Shares of the regional bank, headquartered in Virginia, dropped 14 ...
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Travel booking company
Expedia (EXPE) has been trending higher in recent weeks, as signs point to more opportunities for travel in 2021. One trader sees the potential for shares to rise even further. That’s based on the March 2021 $130 calls. Over 4,300 of the contracts traded recently, a 36-fold rise in volume from the prior open interest of 119. The buyer paid about $12.75 for the options. With shares at $132, the options are already about $2.00 in-the-money. They should rise higher ...
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Since the first Covid vaccine was announced in early November, airline stocks have beaten the overall stock market. That trend is likely to continue in 2021. Holiday travel trends showed an uptick, even as air travel levels were still 75 percent below 2019 levels. With future gains in passengers likely, and with adequate government support, it’s likely that the sector will continue to surge higher as trends improve. That bodes well for the space as a whole, although some names will ...
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