Trading Tips Blog

Candy and confection producer The Hershey Company (HSY) is down 30% over the past year. One trader sees the potential for further downside in the weeks ahead. That’s based on the June $195 puts. With 57 days until expiration, 6,675 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 166, for a 40-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $12.25 to make the bearish bet. Hershey shares recently traded for about $187, meaning the options are ...
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Some companies make their profits because they benefit from a network effect. Simply put, the more users there are on a network, the more valuable that network is. Companies that advertise to that network or support that network benefit from large or growing networks. Investors who buy companies that can benefit from the network effect when they’re trading lower can earn above-average returns over time thanks to this powerful effect. One example of a network is the network of smartphones. Companies that ...
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David Skidmore, a director at Sunoco LP (SUN), recently bought 1,500 shares. The buy increased his stake by 11%, and came to a total cost of $78,144. This is the first insider buy since mid-2022, when the company’s President and CEO bought 5,000 shares, paying $177,475 to do so. Insiders are generally not active in trading shares, as there has been one insider sale last December, from the company’s General Council. Overall, Sunoco insiders own 34.4% of shares. The oil and gas ...
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Industrial conglomerate Honeywell (HON) has been trading in a range over the past year. One trader is betting that shares will trend to the lower end of that range in the coming weeks. That’s based on the May 17 $185 puts. With 23 days until expiration, 10,018 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 175, for a 57-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $1.45 to make the bearish bet. Honeywell shares recently traded ...
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Streaming stocks have gone in and out of favor with the market over the past few years. Today, Wall Street analysts have conditioned investors to focus on metrics like total subscriber count. The past year has seen the major streaming platforms find ways to crack down on password sharing. And that’s created more account users. However, that’s not always the best way to maximize earnings. Despite beating on subscriber count and earnings, Netflix (NFLX) saw shares drop off. Part of the reason ...
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Daniel Johnson, a director at Fastenal (FAST), recently added 3,550 shares. The buy increased his stake by 46% and came to a total cost of $229,056. This is the first insider buy at the company since last July, when another director bought 500 shares for just under $29,000. Insiders were bigger buyers in late 2022, when the company CEO, CFO and a number of directors made multiple purchases of shares. Overall, Fastenal insiders own 0.2% of shares. The manufacturer and seller ...
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Semiconductor manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) is up over 50% in the past year, even after shares have pulled back in recent days. One trader sees a further drop ahead in the coming weeks. That’s based on the May 24 $133 puts. With 31 days until expiration, 4,724 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 106, for a 45-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $7.90 to make the bearish bet. Taiwan Semiconductor shares recently ...
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With markets now decisively off their most recent highs, uncertainty is rising in markets. We don’t know how long or how deep a market pullback will go. Typically, in the absence of a major crisis, the pullbacks aren’t too bad. That can give investors an opportunity to buy great companies at more reasonable prices. With earnings season underway, investors can also buy a company after reporting a fresh update on their operations. One market winner here could be asset manager Blackstone (BX) ...
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