Monsanto Attracts Bevy of Bears

Today’s tickers: MON, AA, NFLX, EWG, NKE, EQIX & V MON - Monsanto Co. – Bearish options investors are having a field day selling out-of-the-money call options on agricultural products manufacturer, Monsanto Co., today with shares of the underlying stock down 2.60% to $55.37 as of 12:20 pm (ET). Options players expecting shares of the maker of genetically modified seeds to trade below $60.00 through May expiration shed 1,400 calls at the May $60 strike to receive an average premium of $0.22 per contract. Pessimists with a larger appetite for risk shed some 4,200 calls at the May $57.5 strike to pocket an average premium of $0.61 per contract. Investors short the May $57.5 strike calls keep the full premium received as long as Monsanto’s share price does not exceed $57.50 at expiration day this month. The $0.61 premium per contract is theirs to keep in exchange for bearing the risk that shares rebound ahead of expiration. Call-sellers face potentially unlimited losses to the upside if Monsanto’s share price rallies 4.95% over the current value of $55.27 to surpass the effective breakeven price of $58.11. Options implied volatility on Monsanto is up 9% to 36.03% as of 12:30 pm (ET). AA - Alcoa, Inc. – A large-volume transaction involving call options on the aluminum manufacturer indicates one big options player is itching for a sharp rally in the price of the underlying stock by September expiration. Alcoa’s shares are trading 4.55% higher on the day at $13.03, and earlier touched an intraday high of $13.24. It looks like the investor picked up 20,000 in-the-money calls at the October $12 strike for a premium of $2.09 each and simultaneously sold the same number of calls at the higher October $16 strike for a premium of $0.50 apiece. The net cost of the transaction amounts to $1.59 per contract. Thus, the optimistic individual is positioned to accrue maximum potential profits of $2.41 per contract should Alcoa’s shares surge 22.8% from the current value of $13.03 to surpass the $16.00-level by expiration day in September. NFLX - Netflix, Inc. – Shares of the provider of DVD-rental-by-mail services surged as much as 10.8% during the first half of the trading session to attain a new 52-week high of $119.50. Netflix, Inc. shares are currently up a more modest 6.35% to $114.73 as of 12:40 pm (ET). Near-term optimistic traders hoping to see shares of the underlying stock break through today’s…
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