7206

Three Companies That Treat Their Employees the Best

These firms show their employees the love—and deliver great results to shareholders. There are many ways to value potential investment opportunities. A more off-the-radar approach is to look for companies that get high ratings from employees. The logic is simple. When employees are happy, they’re likely to be more productive. Happy work environments are conducive to open communication about policies or projects that are (or aren’t) working. It makes hiring and retaining top talent easier, and that factor can have a significant ...
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7210

Unusual Options Activity: Pan American Silver Corp (PAAS)

Bet on drop in silver through year’s end. A spike in put option buying on the Pan American Silver Corp (PAAS) December 20th $15 put options resulted in over 6,000 options trading hands against an open interest of 176—a 34-fold surge in volume. With shares trading at $16.30, the option bet will move in-the-money if shares drop just $1.30, or about 8 percent. Given the volatility in metals markets, such a swing is easily achievable within the next 52 days before expiration. At ...
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7199

Insider Activity: JP Morgan Chase (JPM)

Director makes $1.99 million buy. Mellody Hobson, a director at JP Morgan Chase (JPM), picked up 16,000 shares recently, increasing her stake in the company by 15 percent. At current prices, the buy came to $1.994 million, and leaves the director with just over 117,000 shares. Insider data shows that the banking behemoth has had a mix of insiders both buying and selling in the past few years, which is typical of big companies that pay executives in stock options. Shares of ...
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The Numbers Behind Risk That Do (and Don’t) Add Up

There are a lot of ways to make money in the market. But even if you find that rare company that can move ten-fold and provide one of the best profits of your lifetime, that will take time.Most investors get impatient. Trading Tips’ Andrew Packer explains why you should be looking at blue-chip bargains ...
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7181

Insider Activity: Retractable Technologies (RVP)

CEO adds to stake near 52-week highs. Thomas Shaw, President and CEO of Retractable Technologies (RVP), added 1,500 shares to his stake recently. Shaw owns over 18.7 million shares of the company, making the increase in his total holdings a modest one. Shaw is a frequent buyer of shares in small lots—likely just enough to ensure the small-cap company’s shares don’t move wildly, and he has been buying shares as they have continued to move higher in the past few months. Retractable Technologies, ...
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7183

Unusual Options Activity: Twitter (TWTR)

Traders bet on further weakness following earnings miss. A variety of put options on Twitter (TWTR) saw soaring volume following the company’s massive earnings miss, which sent shares down by twenty percent. Of the numerous contracts with heavy volume, the December 20th $26 put options saw a 40-fold increase, from 101 contracts to over 3,900. The option, with a cost of just $0.23, is a bet that would move in-the-money in the 56 days until expiration if shares fell another 18 percent—a ...
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7107

Unusual Options Activity: Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR)

Bet in surge of call buying. There was a 25-fold surge in volume from 111 contracts to over 2,800 on the November 15th 2019 $16.50 call options on Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR), also known as Petrobras. The options, with shares of the Brazilian oil company trading at $15.50, would trade in-the-money with a $1 rally in shares in the next 22 days. At a cost of just $0.19, or $19 per contract, it’s a cheap bet on shares to rally in the next ...
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7106

Insider Activity: Plumas Bancorp (PLBC)

Director picks up $25,000 in shares. Director Richard Kenny picked up over 1,150 shares of Plumas Bancorp (PLBC) recently, raising his stake by over 20 percent. The buy cost just over $25,000. Insiders at the regional bank have been both buyers and sellers in the past few years, with the last sales coming at prices 13 percent higher than the recent insider buys. Buyers and sellers have just included corporate executives, not major funds or outside capital. All told, insiders own nearly ...
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