Bulls Prep for Continued Run-Up in Sprint

  Today’s tickers: S, SMH, AEM & XRT S  - Sprint Nextel Corp. –  Shares in the third-largest U.S. mobile provider hit a new 2-year high today, rising as much as 5.9% earlier in the session to $5.90. The communications company’s share price took a big hit after AT&T and T-Mobile announced plans to merge back in March, but the stock has sky-rocketed in the two months since then, gaining 41.5% off its post-deal announcement low of $4.17. Perhaps shares were helped higher on news Leap Wireless International joined “team Sprint” in opposing the $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T. Shares in Sprint Nextel Corp. may also be higher ahead of the Thursday release of Google’s mobile-payment service, which will operate on Sprint’s phones. Investors positioning for the uptrend to continue over the long term initiated bullish plays in the November contract. It looks like traders are employing ratio call spreads, buying roughly 2,500 calls at the November $7.0 strike for an average premium of $0.31 each, and selling around 5,000 calls up at the higher November $8.0 strike at an average premium of $0.14 apiece. Net premium required on average to establish the trade amounts to just $0.03 per contract. Ratio call spreaders stand prepared to make money in the event that Sprint’s shares surge 19.2% over today’s high of $5.90 to surpass the average breakeven price of $7.03 by expiration day in November. Maximum potential profits of $0.97 per contract are available on the transaction should the price of the underlying stock jump 35.6% to settle at $8.00 at expiration. Sprint Nextel Corp. shares last traded above $7.03 back in September 2008. The sale of twice as many of the higher-strike calls substantially lowered the price at which call spreaders break even, but also ups the amount of risk undertaken on the position. The uncovered short calls may result in losses in the event that shares spike above the upper breakeven price of $8.97 at expiration in November. Options implied volatility…