Today’s tickers: NWL, RIMM & EMN
NWL - Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. – Big prints in Newell Rubbermaid call options pushed the consumer products provider onto our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner this morning. The burst of call options activity on the stock appears to be largely driven by one or more traders positioning for the price of the underlying to appreciate in the next couple of months. Shares in Rubbermaid are currently down 0.75% to stand at $17.23 as of 1:15 PM in New York. The Company is scheduled to report fourth-quarter earnings before the market opens on January 27. In-the-money call buying at the February $17 strike this morning, where some 550 calls were picked up for a premium of $0.90 each, was followed minutes later by the purchase of a large block of 10,000 calls at the Mar. $18 strike at a premium of $0.65 apiece. All told, more than 12,600 calls have changed hands at the Mar. $18 strike against open interest of just 156 contracts. Traders long these call options may profit at expiration in March if shares in Rubbermaid surge 8.2% to surpass the effective breakeven price of $18.65. We note that, while the block of 10,000 calls do not appear to be tied to any transaction in the underlying shares today, it’s possible the buyer is short the stock and using the long calls to hedge delta. The interpretation of the transaction would, in that case, change from bullish to bearish as the short stock position yields profits if shares in Rubbermaid decline. Finally, fresh put positions established at the Mar. $17 strike, where around 1,100 contracts were purchased at an average premium of $0.92, suggests some traders are poised to potentially profit should the price of the underlying stock pullback ahead of expiration day.…
