Trading Tips Blog

Social media giant Meta Platforms (META) is up nearly 150% over the past year. One trader sees further upside in the month ahead. That’s based on the April 26 $550 call options. With 35 days until expiration, 3,839 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 108, for a 35-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $14.35 to make the bullish bet. Meta shares recently traded for about $500, so would need to rise about ...
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Laws change all the time. And lawsuits may not change laws, but they can impact how they’re interpreted. When there’s a big change, some groups stand to profit, while others stand to see a loss. Recently, a lawsuit and settlement changed how real estate listings would be handled by real estate agents. That could drive down the commission costs for buying and selling a home. But it could also mean that another group may profit. That group is real estate websites geared ...
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Daniel Heinrich, a director at Dollar Tree (DLTR), recently bought 1,000 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 19%, and came to a total cost of $127,850. This marks the first insider activity of the year. Insiders were generally buyers last year, including buys of over $1 million from the company CEO and $200,000 from the company CFO. A major holder also acquired a stake worth over $99 million. Overall, Dollar Tree insiders own 0.3% of shares. The discount retailer has ...
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Oil and gas exploration company Northern Oil & Gas (NOG) is up 35% over the past year, higher than the overall market. One trader is betting the outperformance will continue in the next six months. That’s based on the September $42 calls. 2,602 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 101, for a 26-fold rise in volume on the trade. The contracts have 183 days left until expiration. The buyer of the calls paid $2.30 to make the bullish ...
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Last year’s rising bond yields made many defensive, dividend-paying stocks sell off. That’s because their yields needed to move higher to match rising bond yields. That trend largely peaked last October, but many stocks are still well off their old highs, or still look like a value today. That’s especially true for food and snack companies. These stocks were also impacted by the early results of new weight-loss drugs and their uncertainty on sales. That fear is now subsiding. That’s led one ...
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Daniel Fisher, President and CEO of Ball Corp (BALL), recently bought 3,869 shares. The buy increased his position by 3%, and came to a total cost of $247,767. This is the first insider activity since November, when the company COO also bought about $250,000 in shares. Going further back, three insiders were sellers earlier in 2023. One director sold over $8 million in shares. And two company executives made small sales with the largest around $200,000. Overall, Ball insiders own ...
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Oil and gas refiner Valero Energy (VLO) is up 26% over the past year, about in-line with the overall market. One trader sees shares surging in the months ahead. That’s based on the June $190 calls. With 93 days until expiration, 21,675 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 120, for a 180-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $3.25 to make the bullish bet. Valero shares recently traded for about $166, meaning shares ...
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Every company handles earnings season differently. Some companies will look to avoid big swings in earnings. Others won’t. And when it comes to guidance, some companies will always look at the glass as half full, others as half empty. When a company reports great earnings but is cautious on guidance, shares may sell off. If that happens, investors should get in, because over the long term, strong earnings are what drives shares higher. That situation just happened with software giant Adobe (ADBE) ...
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