Trading Tips Blog

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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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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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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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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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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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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Joseph Reece, a director at Compass Minerals (CMP), recently added 5,000 shares. The buy increased his position by 13 percent, and came to a total cost of $106,200. This is the first insider buy since September, when the company’s Chief Commercial Officer bought 3,503 shares, paying just over $94,000. Going back to 2022, company insiders were more active as buyers, including buys from the company President and CEO. Overall, Compass insiders own 0.9 percent of shares. The salt and mineral producer ...
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Consumer lender Ally Financial (ALLY) is up 12 percent over the past year, lagging the overall market’s returns. One trader sees shares rising in the coming weeks. That’s based on the March $39 calls. With 48 days until expiration, 4,261 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 104, for a 41-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.65 to make the bullish bet. Ally shares recently traded for about $36.50, so the option would ...
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