Trading Tips Blog

Earnings season gives companies an opportunity to not only report how well they’ve done in the most recent quarter, but how they expect the next few quarters to play out. For companies that don’t have good numbers to report now, future expectations can help soothe the markets. That’s especially true when a company has been facing some known challenges. That can include a rise in competition, price pressure, or changing customer tastes. For fast food giant McDonald’s (MCD), it’s been a mix ...
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Peter Warwick, President and CEO of Scholastic Corporation (SCHL), recently bought 1,674 shares. The buy increased his position by 2%, and came to a total cost of $50,997. He was joined by the company’s Chief Strategy Officer, who bought $50,430 in shares on the same day. Warwick was the last buyer of shares at the company in September 2022, when he bought 3,245 shares for just over $100,000. There have been two insider sales in the interim. Overall, Scholastic insiders own ...
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Department store chain Macy’s (M) has traded flat over the past year, as the company has been targeted for a buyout, but rejected that offer. One trader sees shares trending lower into next year. That’s based on the February 2025 $15 puts. With 205 days until expiration, 3,325 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 114, for a 29-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $1.22 to make the bearish bet. Macy’s recently traded ...
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For nearly 18 months, big-cap tech stocks have dominated the market. Most stocks have traded flat or even declined over that time. But in the past few weeks, tech stocks have pulled back, but other stocks have started to show signs of life. Given how long the big tech outperformance lasted, there’s more room to run higher. Even for stocks that have already had some big jumps over the past few weeks. That includes industrial conglomerate 3M (MMM). Shares soared over 20% ...
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William Johnson, a director at United Parcel Service (UPS), recently bought 5,000 shares. The buy increased his position by over 1,000%, and came to a total cost of $643,025. This is the second buy from insiders this year, following a 1,400 share buy from another director for just under $200,000 back in February. Going further bank, UPS insiders were more likely to be sellers of shares, largely following the exercise of stock options. Overall, UPS insiders own less than 0.1% of ...
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Drug manufacturer Pfizer (PFE) is down 16% over the past year, but shares have been in an uptrend since April. One trader sees shares trending higher through next spring. That’s based on the March 2025 $34 calls. With 234 days until expiration, 9,332 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 252, for a 37-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $1.48 to make the bullish bet. Pfizer shares recently traded for just under $31, ...
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Usually, companies have to increase their sales to increase their revenues. However, companies that can add new features and services can increase their revenues. Even if they don’t have additional sales or customers either. In an industry that’s built on such add-ons, companies that have offered low-cost frills have built a niche. But having additional add-ons can allow them to continue claiming a cost advantage, while also offering a higher-end experience. That’s likely the move behind Southwest Airline’s (LUV) decision to abandon ...
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William Rogers, CEO of Truist Financial Corp (TFC), recently bought 57,300 shares. The buy increased his stake by 5%, and came to a total cost of $2,518,908. The CEO was the last buyer of shares with a 10,000 share buy in October 2023, at a cost of $280,480. There were two additional insider buys from directors last year, with the largest buy for just under $500,000. There has been just one insider sale this year. Overall, Truist insiders own 0.3% of ...
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