IB Options Brief: Family Dollar Stores, Inc.

Options Unusual Activity

IB Options Brief: Family Dollar Stores, Inc.

Posted March 30th, 2012 by Caitlin Duffy in Unusual Activity

Frenzied Call Buying At Family Dollar As Shares Hit Record High

FDO ñ Family Dollar Stores, Inc.
Call buyers flocked to Family Dollar Stores today, with shares in the operator of general merchandise retail discount stores trading up as much as 4.6% to a record high of $62.84 on the heels of encouraging consumer sentiment and spending data. The stock posted big gains in the month of March, gaining 15.5% in the past four weeks, and it looks like some traders are positioning for the good times to continue.

Bullish trading in the front month calls is heaviest at the April $65 strike where more than 5,000 calls have changed hands against open interest of 324 contracts, as of 12:50 p.m. in New York. It looks like the majority of the $65 calls were purchased for an average premium of $0.45 apiece, thus positioning buyers to profit in the event that shares in FDO add another 4.2% to top $65.45 by expiration next month.

Lighter-volume call buying spread to the May $60, $62.5 and $65 strikes, as well as the July $65 strike calls. Nearly 10,000 option contracts are in play on Family Dollar Stores this afternoon, a more than ten-fold increase over the stockís 90-day average options volume of 925 contracts.

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