Today’s tickers: BYD, UPS & CMG
BYD - Boyd Gaming Corp. – Call options on casino operator, Boyd Gaming Corp, are changing hands at a clip today, with shares in the name up better than 11% at $6.73 in early-afternoon trading. Overall options volume on Boyd is up sharply, with nearly 15,000 contracts in play as of 12:40 p.m. ET, versus the stock’s average daily volume of around 314 contracts. Most of the trading traffic today has been in Boyd calls today, driving the call-to-put ratio on the name up above 34-to-1. Heavy call buying across expiries suggests some traders are positioning for Boyd’s shares to extend gains during the next few months. The purchase of a block of 2,955 in-the-money Dec. 21 ’12 $6.0 strike calls purchased this morning at a premium of $0.40 apiece is amassing substantial paper profits for the buyer just a couple of hours after purchase. The $6.0 strike calls, which expire at the end of this week, currently tout a price tag that has doubled intraday to $0.80 per contract as of 12:45 p.m. ET in New York. Bullish traders also stepped in to buy more than 1,700 calls at the Dec. 21 ’12 $7.0 strike for an average premium of $0.08 apiece during the session. These contracts make money as long as shares in Boyd Gaming Corp. top $7.08 at expiration. Like-minded strategists purchased upside call options expiring in January 2013 and March 2013, as well. The most active contracts are the Jan. 2013 $7.0 strike calls, seeing volume in excess of 10,000 contracts versus open interest of 1,079 positions during the first half of the trading day. Time and sales data suggests most of the $7.0 strike calls expiring next month were purchased for an average premium of $0.22 apiece today. Traders long the $7.0 strike calls stand ready to profit should Boyd’s shares tack on another 7% to top the average breakeven price of $7.22 by expiration next year.
UPS - United Parcel Service, Inc. – Stocks are rallying this morning amid signs of progress in negotiations…
