IB Options Brief: Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) & Morgan Stanley (MS)

Posted May 9th, 2012 by Caitlin Duffy in Unusual Activity

Weekly Puts In Play On Financial Stocks As Shares Extend Losses

WFC ñ Wells Fargo & Co.
Financial stocks were among the weakest performers as trading got underway this morning, spurring bearish activity in options on the largest banks. Shares in Wells Fargo are down 1.3% at $32.73 as of midday in New York, having surrendered a total of 5.4% since reaching a more than three-year high of $34.59 on April 2nd. Weekly put buying on San Francisco, California-based Wells Fargo & Co. suggests some traders anticipate the stock may continue to sell off through the end of this week. The May 11 í12 $32 strike put saw the most action, with more than 2,600 of the contracts purchased for an average premium of $0.16 apiece this morning. Put buyers may profit at expiration if shares in WFC decline another 2.7% to breach the average breakeven point on the downside at $31.84.

MS ñ Morgan Stanley
Investors in Morgan Stanley are feeling more pain today, with shares in the name down 0.50% at $15.76 in early afternoon trading on the heels of a more than 25.0% move lower since the end of March. Options traders looking to benefit from further potential weakness in the shares snapped up more than 3,200 puts at the May 11 í12 $15 strike for an average premium of $0.13 apiece. Traders long the weekly $15 puts on the financial services firm stand ready to profit in the event that shares in Morgan Stanley drop another 5.6% to trade below the average breakeven price of $14.87. Shares in MS last traded south of $14.87 back in December 2011.

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