Today’s tickers: P, NXPI & CQB
P - Pandora Media, Inc. – Shares in the Internet radio provider are on a tear this year, having rallied nearly 30.0% since the final trading session of 2011. The stock is up 8.1% at $13.06 today, although it’s worth noting the stock trades below its June IPO. Put activity on the music media company this morning suggests at least one strategist does not expect the music to stop in the near future. Investors exchanged more than 3,200 puts at the Feb. $10 strike against open interest 563 contracts, indicating the positions were opened. It looks like most of the put options were sold for an average premium of $0.25 each. Put sellers walk away with the full amount of premium at expiration next month as long as shares in Pandora Media, Inc. exceed $10.00. The strategy could saddle sellers of the options with shares of the underlying stock at February expiration in the event of a sharp pullback below the strike price. Premium received on the play provides limited protection against losses should shares tank, however, traders start to see losses on the downside should the stock drop 25.0% to trade below the effective breakeven price of $9.75 at expiration day. The put contracts expire ahead of the Company’s March 1 fourth-quarter earnings release.
NXPI - NXP Semiconductors NV – Call options on the semiconductor supplier are more active than usual this morning, with shares in the Eindhoven, The Netherlands-based Company soaring 14.7% to an intraday high of $19.72. Traders appear to be placing bullish bets on NXPI today, snapping up in- and out-of-the-money call options to position for shares to extend gains in the near term. Meanwhile, some call buyers that purchased calls ahead…
