Today’s tickers: TRLG, KR & IGT
TRLG - True Religion Apparel, Inc. – Disappointing fourth-quarter earnings and weaker-than-expected 2012 guidance from high-end apparel maker, True Religion, saw shares down as much as 25.0% this morning to $27.57. The sharp pullback in the price of the underlying is a true kick in the pants for some traders holding bullish options, as the value of their positions tumbled overnight. One hard-hit strategy, a bull call spread initiated at $1.50 per contract yesterday afternoon, is practically worthless today. It looks like the trader purchased a 1,000-lot Feb. $37/$41 call spread for a net premium outlay of $1.50 per contract, looking for maximum possible profits of $2.50 per contract provided True Religion’s shares settled above $41.00 by February expiration. As of the close of trading on Thursday, with shares in TRLG at $36.80, the stock would have needed to rally % for the spread to yield maximum gains to the investor. But, with shares now sharply lower, the price of the underlying must soar nearly 40.0% to $38.50 in order for the trader to at least break even on the position. The trader takes maximum possible losses of $1.50 per contract on the spread if shares fail to rally above $37.00 by expiration next week. Meanwhile, investors that purchased bearish or protective put options heading into the earnings report saw the value of their positions soar. One such trade, the purchase of around 500 Feb. $31 puts for an average premium of $0.70 each at the end of January, is up big today. Investors buying the now deep in-the-money puts this morning paid an average premium of $3.22 per contract this morning, or nearly five times as much. Finally, investors positioning for shares in True Religion to extend losses ahead of February expiration snapped up some 500 puts at the $26 strike and another 140 puts at the $25 strike, at average premiums of $0.34 and $0.13 apiece, respectively.…
