Today’s tickers: VALE, LCC & PNC
VALE - Vale SA – The Brazilian metals and mining company’s shares have sustained sharp losses since last summer, with the stock currently trading at a 45.0% discount to the July 26th 52-week high of $33.74. Shares in Vale are in positive territory today, up 1.3% at $18.59 as of 11:00 a.m. in New York; however, the largest prints in the iron ore producer’s options today point to the potential for fresh two-year lows in the next few months. It looks like one strategist is rolling a bearish position from the front month out to the September expiry, selling a 2,592-lot Jun. $20/$23 put spread at $2.97 per contract to buy the 2,592-lot Sept. $16/$18 spread at a net premium of $0.69 each. Open interest in the front month puts is sufficient to cover the size of the transaction, although it is difficult to determine when and at what price the spread might have originally been purchased. The put spread could be a hedge to offset losses on a long position in the shares, or an outright bearish bet that shares in Vale have further to fall this year. The new Sept. $16/$18 spread yields profits – or downside protection – should shares in Vale decline 6.9% to trade below the breakeven price of $17.31 by expiration.
LCC - US Airways Group, Inc. – A sizable position was initiated in US Airways Group put options this morning ahead of the airline operator’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday and prior to second-quarter earnings due out next month. Shares in LCC are up 1.15% just before midday to stand at $11.50 and stand 120.0% higher since the beginning of the calendar year. It looks like approximately 5,000 put options were purchased at the July $10 strike for an average premium of $0.57 apiece, perhaps as some strategists lock in gains or speculate on a possible pullback. The cheapened cost of downside…
