Trading Tips Blog

George Maxwell, CEO at VAALCO Energy (EGY), recently bought 5,000 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 3.9 percent, and came to a total cost of $21,650. The CEO last bought shares in November, grabbing 20,000 shares for just over $111,000. The most recent buy comes about one month after the company CFO bought 4,250 shares as well. Overall, company insiders have been mixed over the past three years, with large holders making big sales while some insiders have been buyers. Read More About This

Shares of home improvement retailer The Home Depot (HD) are down about in-line with the market over the past year. One trader sees a further drop in the weeks ahead. That’s based on the February 2023 $290 put. With 60 days until expiration, 13,502 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 311 for a 41-fold jump in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $4.03 to make the bearish bet. Home Depot shares recently traded just over ...
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Investors often see a trade-off between high growth opportunities and income. However, in a market selloff, growth names can go on sale. And when they do, any dividend that they may be paying can become much larger than average. Striking a balance between the two involves looking at where some of the best bargains lie under current market conditions. But investors looking for growth and income have a growing number of opportunities right now. One such opportunity is in Qualcomm (QCOM). The ...
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Matthew Tonn, Chief Commercial Officer at FreightCar America (RAIL), recently picked up 5,700 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 3.5 percent, and came to a total cost just over $20,000. This is the first insider activity at the company since June, following a 2,550 share pickup from the company CEO. Going back over the past 3 years, executives, directors, and major owners have all been buying up shares, with no insider sales. Overall, insiders own 31.3 percent of the railcar ...
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Shares of video game retailer GameStop (GME) are down nearly 45 percent in the past year, nearly triple the amount the S&P 500 has declined. One trader sees a further decline in the coming months. That’s based on the March $21 puts. With 90 days until expiration, 7,230 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 103, for a 70-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $4.58 to get in. Shares recently traded right around ...
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There’s an old Wall Street saying that they don’t ring a bell at the top. That’s also true of the bottom for the stock market, a sector, or individual companies. The best that investors can do is look for companies that are growing during a tough time – and increasing their market share. These companies will survive, and likely be rewarded for their growth, even if that takes time to play out with a new bull market. One company we’ve seen play ...
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David Smith, a director at Illinois Tool Works (ITW), recently added 1,390 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 0.4 percent, and came to a total cost just over $308,000. This is the first buy from company insiders in just over a year, when another director bought 10,000 shares. Otherwise, company executives have been regular and steady sellers of the stock going back over the past three years. Overall, company insiders own 0.3 percent of shares. The industrial machinery manufacturer has seen ...
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Shares of cosmetic retailer Sally Beauty Holdings (SBH) have lost nearly 42 percent in the last year. One trader sees a further drop in the weeks ahead. That’s based on the January $10 puts. With 36 days until expiration, 7,502 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 349, for a 22-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.20 to make the bearish bet. Shares recently traded for about $12.00, so they’d need to lose ...
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