Trading Tips Blog

Investors in the chip space have fared well over the past year and a half. Soaring interest in AI technologies bodes well for any designer and manufacturer of semiconductor stocks. Within that space, some companies have done better than others. What really matters for investors is finding which companies can continue to trend higher from here, and even become the leading play in the space. For semiconductor stocks, the real story is insatiable chip demand. And that means that manufacturing plays could ...
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Katharine Weymouth, a director at
Republic Services (RSG), recently bought 540 shares. The buy came to a total cost of $100,040, and is a new position for the director. The buy comes a month after another director picked up 79 shares, paying just under $15,000 to increase her position by nearly 80%. RSG insiders were more likely to be sellers of shares over the past year, including sizeable sales from the company’s CMO and CFO. Overall, Republic Services insiders own 0.1% of ...
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Oil and gas exploration and production company
Hess Corporation (HES), is up 9% over the past year. That’s far lagged the overall stock market. One trader is betting on a potential decline into next year. That’s based on the January 2025 $145 puts. With 219 days until expiration, 7,250 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 153, for a 47-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $10.20 to make the bearish bet. Hess shares recently ...
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Big companies can often go in and out of favor with the market. But companies that underperform tend to catch up over time. And investors who have been disappointed with such a company will be happy when that outperformance occurs. Many stocks are still underperforming. In a market that’s driven by news about AI developments, that’s no surprise. But it also means that today’s buyers can get a relative value in non-AI parts of the market. Defense contractors are one such play ...
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Mary Hopkins, a director at
American States Water (AWR), recently bought 560 shares. The buy increased her position by 18%, and came to a total cost of $40,057. The buy comes after another director bought 640 shares, paying $49,677 to do so. Other directors have been buyers of shares going back to last August. There has only been one insider sale, also from a director, over the past year. Overall, American States Water insiders own 0.8% of shares. The water utility is down ...
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Mega-bank
Bank of America (BAC) has been a market favorite over the past year, beating the overall S&P 500 by nearly 50%. One trader sees shares trending even higher in the coming months. That’s based on the September $39 calls. With 104 days until expiration, 4,696 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 159, for a 30-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $2.38 to make the bullish bet. Bank of America shares recently traded ...
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Historically, all companies go through a period of rapid growth while they build market share. Once they hit saturation, they tend to see a decline. To avoid that, most companies have to innovate and come up with a new product or service to keep customers. For other assets, such as commodities, demand can fluctuate in cycles. Investors who buy near the low of the cycle and sell near the top can often make market-beating returns. Today, utility companies are behaving like commodity ...
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Richard Blackley, a director at
SLM Corp (SLM) recently bought 11,702 shares. The buy came to a total cost of $249,378, and increased the director’s stake by 99%. This marks the first insider buy over the past year. Otherwise, there have been 8 insider sales over the last 12 months. That includes one sale from an EVP valued at over $1.9 million. And the company’s CFO was also a seller of shares. Overall, SLM insiders own 1% of shares. The student loan ...
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