Unusual Option Activity: Lockheed Martin (LMT)

Aerospace and defense contractor Lockheed Martin (LMT) is down 6 percent over the past year, and shares have dropped in recent weeks. One trader sees a rebound in the weeks ahead. That’s based on the March $430 calls. With 44 days until expiration, 9,167 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 263, for a 35-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $8.70 to make the bullish bet. Lockheed shares recently traded for about $428, ...
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This Commodity Trend Points to Strong Returns for a Merger Play

The winter months in North America typically bode well for investors in natural gas. However, the specific dates and moves in prices depend significantly on weather conditions. That can make getting the exact timing challenging. However, investors could instead look to invest in undervalued stocks that could rise higher even past a cyclical trend and rally for years to come. That would play well to America’s natural gas resources and our rising ability to export it to higher-priced markets. One up-and-coming play ...
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Insider Activity Report: Viridian Therapeutics (VRDN)

Fairmount Funds Management, a major holder of Viridian Therapeutics (VRDN), recently bought 476,190 shares. The buy increased the fund’s holdings by 35 percent, and came to a total cost of $9,999,990. This marks the first insider buy since April 2023, when the company CEO bought 4,000 shares for just over $101,000, and also made a $160,000 buy in March 2023. The company’s General Council was a small seller of shares in the past year. Overall, Viridian insiders own 1.3 percent of ...
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Unusual Option Activity: Intel (INTC)

Chipmaker Intel (INTC) sold off heavily last week following the company’s latest earnings. One trader sees shares rebounding from their recent drop. That’s based on the February 23 $46 calls. With 24 days until expiration, 9,463 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 194, for a 49-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.81 to make the bullish bet. Intel recently traded for about $43.50, so shares would need to rise about $2.50 or ...
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For Great Returns, Invest with Companies Expanding Into High-Margin Services

One of the great success stories of the past decade has been the rise of many big-cap tech names. Companies like Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon (AMZN) have soared to new highs on the back of the expansion into markets such as web services. These services tend to have a high profit margin once set up and running. And they create a recurring revenue stream compared to one-off sales. That kind of business model is seeing an expansion thanks to its success. One ...
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Insider Activity Report: Texas Capital Bancshares (TCBI)

Robert Stallings, a director at Texas Capital Bancshares (TCBI), recently bought 12,000 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 3 percent, and came to a total cost of $227,260. The director has been a regular buyer over the past few months, including over 11,000 shares in December and 13,000 shares in November and October. The company’s Chief Administrative officer has also been a buyer in the past year, picking up 1,110 shares for just over $49,000. Overall, TCBI insiders own ...
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Unusual Option Activity: Verizon Communications (VZ)

Telecom giant Verizon Communications (VZ) is at its 52-week high following strong earnings last week. One trader sees the potential for a further rally in the weeks ahead. That’s based on the March $46 calls. With 45 days until expiration, 24,648 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 380, for a 65-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.15 to make the bullish bet. Verizon shares recently traded for just over $42, so they ...
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Invest With Companies Going Back to their Core Strengths

Often, a company will start to make changes over the years to better respond to consumer tastes. If those tastes are cyclical, they may change back over time. Or companies may discover that those tastes are too costly to serve. That can lead to a company restructuring on what has been its core strength. This is seen every few years with fast food companies, as they expand menus, only to contract them again in time. Other sectors have their versions as well ...
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