Today’s tickers: PEP, BYI & ILMN
PEP - PepsiCo, Inc. – Options on global beverage and snack food giant, PepsiCo, Inc., are humming with activity this morning after the company posted first-quarter earnings that handily beat analyst expectations. Overall volume in PEP options is roughly three times the average daily level for the stock as of 11:00 a.m. ET. Shares in the world’s largest snack maker jumped 5.8% in the early going to a record high of $83.45. Fresh interest in upside call options on Pepsi indicates some traders are positioning for shares in the name to extend gains this year. The July $85 strike calls have traded 1,600 times so far today versus open interest of 964 contracts. It looks like traders purchased most of the volume for an average premium of $1.10 each. Looking ahead to October expiration, traders stepped in to buy calls at the $85, $87.5, $90 and $95 strikes. The Oct. $90 strike is most active, with some 1,400 calls changing hands against open interest of just 11 contracts. Call buyers paid an average premium of $0.53 apiece for the $90 calls, and may profit at October expiration in the event that PepsiCo’s shares surge 8.5% over today’s high of $83.45 to surpass the average breakeven price of $90.53.
BYI - Bally Technologies, Inc. – The maker of slot machines and other gaming devices popped up on our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner this morning due to heavier than usual trading in the May expiry puts. Front month put buyers may be bracing for shares in Bally to pull back following the company’s third-quarter earnings report after the close next Thursday. The stock is down 1.0% at $47.25 this afternoon, after yesterday sinking to the lowest level in one month. May $45 strike puts traded more than 3,400 times during the first half of the trading session against open interest of 125 contracts. Time and sales data indicates most of the puts were purchased for an average premium of $0.95 each. Traders…
