Trading Tips Blog

Earnings season is often full of surprises. That means a company can report great results, but sell off as traders didn’t think they were good enough. Or a company could lose money, but not as much as expected. When that happens, shares often soar. This can happen across any sector. But a great company in a long-term uptrend will likely keep moving with that uptrend, even amid any earnings season silliness. The latest market overreaction has hit Marriott International (MAR). The hotel ...
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Art Garcia, a director at Raymond James Financial (RJF), recently bought 879 shares. The buy is an initial stake for the director, and came to a total cost of $98,715. This marks the only insider buy over the past two years. Otherwise, company executives have been sellers of shares over the past two years. The biggest sales have come following the exercise of stock options, and have totaled as much as $5.2 million. Overall, Raymond James insiders own 9.8 percent ...
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Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors (TSLA) is down 10 percent over the past year, as the company’s sales have slowed. One trader sees a further decline in the weeks ahead. That’s based on the March 22 $140 puts. With 35 days until expiration, 22,675 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 365, for a 62-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.55 to make the bearish bet. Tesla shares recently traded for about $184, ...
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Long-term investors still have a wide shopping list of great companies trading well off their highs. Many stocks outside of the big tech space make the grade. Especially companies that have strong brands. The past few years have shown that high inflation can weigh on a company’s profitability. But a great company can keep raising prices faster than they lose customers. In that situation, they’re set up well for long-term inflation, even if it slows back to lower levels. That also means ...
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Bracken Darrell, President and CEO of V F Corporation (VFC), recently bought 65,360 shares. The buy increased his stake by 83 percent, and came to a total cost of $1,005,296. This is the first insider buy of the year. However, last year saw over a dozen insider buys, largely from directors, but also a 10,000 share buy from the company’s interim President and CEO. The last insider sale occurred in May 2022. In total, VFC insiders own 0.9 percent of shares. The ...
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Oil and gas giant Exxon Mobil (XOM) has seen its shares slide 13 percent over the past year, as energy prices have traded in a range. One trader sees shares trending lower through the middle of next year. That’s based on the June 2025 $125 puts. With 492 days until expiration, 5,204 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 113, for a 46-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $24.20 to make the ...
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The market rally since late 2022 has been driven by tech stocks, particularly large cap tech stocks developing artificial intelligence (AI) opportunities. That’s caused other sectors of the market to lag. Over time, improving earnings from these sectors is creating a better value. Investors may want to take some profits in high-flying tech stocks now that markets are soaring to all-time highs. Other companies can likely help push stock indices higher this year as they play catch-up with the overall market. For ...
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Jennifer Hyman, a director at Estee Lauder (EL), recently bought 1,350 shares. The buy increased her stake by 135 percent, and came to a total cost of $198,045. This marks the first insider buy over the last two years. Otherwise, company insiders have been regular and steady sellers of shares, mostly in 2022 and early 2023, in particular the company’s President and CEO. Most sales from other executives have come following the exercise of stock options. Overall, Estee Lauder insiders own ...
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