Calls are seeing increased attention in Halliburton Company's (NYSE:HAL) options pits today, as the stock benefits from rising crude prices, adding 5.2% to trade at $46.21. With traders taking a bullish stance amid oil's gains, calls are crossing at three times the average intraday pace. Moreover, calls make up seven of HAL's 10 most active options today.

One option seeing notable attention is the in-the-money May 44 call, which it appears traders are buying to open. These speculators expect the shares to extend their gains above $44 through the close on Friday, May 15, when the series expires.

HAL's options traders have grown increasingly bullish over the past two weeks. The equity's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) call/put volume ratio has risen from 1.29 to 2.18 during that time, with the current ratio landing in the 73rd percentile of its annual range. This tells us that options traders have been buying to open HAL calls over puts at a faster-than-normal rate.

Analysts, too, have taken a bullish approach toward the security. Just last week, SocGen and Citigroup each raised its price target on the shares. Also, as it stands now, 68% of covering analysts rate HAL a "buy" or better.

The positive attention comes as Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) picks up the pace on the charts. After a dismal second half of the year in 2014, the shares have shown considerable strength lately, tacking on 24.2% since touching an annual low of $37.21 on Dec. 16.

3-D printer maker 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) is sitting on a healthy gain of 3% at $28.26, as shareholders applaud the firm's purchase of a company in China for an undisclosed sum. Option traders, meanwhile, are gambling on DDD's long-term trajectory, with November-dated contracts of particular interest.

Overall option volume is running at nearly twice the average afternoon clip, though calls are outpacing puts. Most active are the November 27 call and November 26 put, both of which have seen buy-to-open action. Buyers of the calls expect DDD to extend its journey north of $27 through the close on Friday, Nov. 20, when the options expire. The put buyers, on the other hand, expect DDD to retreat beneath $27 within the options' lifetime.

Elsewhere, the equity's weekly 4/10 options are attracting attention, and account for five of the top 10 most popular strikes today. Bulls are apparently buying to open the 27.50- and 29-strike calls, amid hopes for DDD to continue higher through Friday's close, when the series expires. Bears are purchasing the weekly 28-strike puts, expecting DDD to sink beneath $28 by the end of the week.

Prior to today, long puts were growing increasingly popular on DDD. On the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the equity's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 0.93 stands higher than 86% of all other readings from the past year. In the same skeptical vein, short interest accounts for nearly 37% of DDD's total available float, representing close to 19 sessions' worth of pent-up buying demand, at the stock's average pace of trading.

Technically speaking, it's been a rocky road for 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) in 2015, with the shares down 13.8%. However, the stock is on pace to close atop its 10-day and 20-day moving averages for the first time since mid-February. What's more, these trendlines just made a bullish cross -- often a signal of short-term technical strength. Should DDD muscle even higher, a mass exodus of option bears or short sellers could add fuel to the stock's fire.

Delphi Automotive PLC (NYSE:DLPH) is 3.9% higher at $84.32 -- and earlier touched a record peak of $85.08 -- after no fewer than six brokerage firms hiked their price targets on the equity. The most ambitious lift came from Morgan Stanley, which raised its price target by $15 to $105 while keeping its "overweight" opinion. On the charts, DLPH has been a long-term technical beast, with the shares up 27.9% year-over-year. In light of all this, some options traders are gambling on DLPH to continue notching higher highs, as call are flying off the shelves at a lightning-fast pace.

Drilling down, calls are exchanging hands at 28 times the average daily rate, and are outpacing puts by a staggering 127-to-1 ratio. The day's most active contract by a wide margin is the April 82.50 call, where buy-to-open activity is taking place. By purchasing this call, speculators expect the security to continue its trek above the strike price by the close on Friday, April 17, when the option expires.

However, today's preference for calls runs opposite to recent activity in the options pits. Specifically, DLPH's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) put/call volume ratio of 2.33 ranks in the 69th percentile of its annual range.

Looking elsewhere, the brokerage bunch is mostly bullish on Delphi Automotive PLC (NYSE:DLPH). Two-thirds of covering analysts rate the stock a "buy" or better, with no "sell" or worse recommendations to be found. Additionally, DLPH's average 12-month price target of $89.08 is only 4 points north of today's new high, suggesting more upward revisions could be on the horizon.

Toy titan Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) is up 4.8% at $23.73 this morning, thanks to an upgrade to "buy" from "neutral," as well as a price-target hike to $27.25 from $26, at B. Riley. The analysts waxed optimistic on new CEO Christopher Sinclair, who has a "clear game plan" to quickly turn MAT around. (BMO, meanwhile, trimmed its price target on the stock to $25 from $28.) What's more, the options crowd is gambling on even more upside for MAT, judging by early action in the options pits.

MAT calls are trading at five times the average intraday pace, with buy-to-open activity detected at the April 24 call. By purchasing the calls to open, the buyers expect MAT to topple $24 within the options' lifetime. In light of the stock's jump, delta on the call surged to 0.45 from 0.25 at Thursday's close, implying a roughly 45% chance of the contract expiring in the money on Friday, April 17 -- just a day after the company reports first-quarter earnings.

Meanwhile, longer-term bulls are scooping up the January 2016 25-strike call -- the most active thus far. These calls will move into the money if MAT climbs atop $25 by the close on Friday, Jan. 15, when the long-term options expire.

Today's affinity for long calls merely echoes the growing trend seen on the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). MAT sports a 50-day call/put volume ratio of 1.27 -- higher than 88% of all other readings from the past year. In other words, option buyers have shown a greater-than-usual fondness for MAT calls over puts during the past 10 weeks.

However, short interest grew 14.6% during the past two reporting periods, and now accounts for nearly 10% of MAT's total available float. It would take over eight sessions to buy back these bearish bets, at the security's average pace of trading. Against this backdrop, it's possible that some of the recent call buying -- particularly at out-of-the-money strikes -- could be attributable to hedging activity among the shorts.

Whatever the motive, speculators are paying a relatively pretty penny for short-term MAT options. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 42% stands higher than two-thirds of all other readings from the past year.

While Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) is higher today, the equity has underperformed the S&P 500 Index (SPX) by nearly 26 percentage points during the past three months. In fact, the stock touched a four-year low of $22.32 on Thursday. Plus, if recent history is any indicator, MAT could tick lower after earnings; following its last five earnings reports, the stock has shed an average of 4.5% in the subsequent session.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is 1% higher this morning at $40.68, following an upgrade to "outperform" from "market perform" at Wells Fargo. Meanwhile, the stock's options are running at a slightly accelerated clip, helped by a pair of huge blocks that crossed the tape earlier.

Diving into the details, a lot of 4,250 January 2016 50-strike calls changed hands near the ask price earlier, as did a matching block of January 2016 40-strike puts. If the positions are opening, the speculator may be initiating a bearishly biased long strangle, expecting MSFT to either topple $50 or breach $40 by January 2016 options expiration. Specifically, based on the net debit of $3.61 per pair of contracts, the lower breakeven is $36.39 (put strike less net debit) -- a new annual low -- and the upper is $53.61 (call strike plus net debit) -- 15-year-high territory.

Currently, MSFT is in the midst of a multi-month pullback. Since topping out at $50.04 in mid-November, the shares have dropped 18.7%. More recently, the tech stock has underperformed the broader S&P 500 Index (SPX) by 14.6 percentage points over the last three months.

Nevertheless, bullish betting has been on the upswing. MSFT's 50-day call/put volume ratio across the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) is 2.35, or just 1 percentage point shy of an annual high. An unwinding of this optimism could spell downside for the shares.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) could also be vulnerable to negative analyst notes. Nearly half of the analysts tracking the stock rate it a "buy" or better, and MSFT's average 12-month price target of $46.97 stands at a 15.5% premium to current trading levels.

NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP) is gaining today, last seen 1.4% higher at $35.78. In response, bullish speculators have stepped up. Calls are crossing the tape at 24 times the normal intraday volume, accounting for nine of NTAP's 10 most popular contracts. Leading the way is the June 40 call, where over 8,700 contracts have changed hands -- nearly three times as many as the next closest option.

Of the 8,700 June 40 call contracts that have crossed, 5,000 of them were bought to open by a single trader, for an initial cash outlay of $160,000 (premium of $0.32 * number of contracts * 100 shares per contract). This trader is betting on NTAP to topple the round-number $40 mark by June options expiration.

For this to happen, NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP) will need to build on today's momentum and turn things around on the charts. Since the start of the year, the shares have dropped 13.7%, leaving analysts little choice but to take a bearish stance. Specifically, 75% of covering brokerage firms rate NTAP a "hold" or worse.

500.com Ltd (NYSE:WBAI) is sharply higher today after China's government lifted a temporary ban on online lottery sales. At last check, the gaming stock was 18.2% higher at $12.32, and the biggest gainer on the Big Board. Nevertheless, options traders aren't buying the hype.

Diving right in, intraday call volume is running at 1.5 times the average intraday clip, but the contracts are still outstripped by puts on an absolute basis. The most active WBAI options are the April and June 12.50 puts, which are both seeing likely buy-to-open activity, as speculators wager on the stock to reverse lower between now and the respective expiration dates.

Bearish bets have been popular in recent weeks. During the last 10 trading days on the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), more than 3,800 WBAI puts have been bought to open, versus fewer than 430 calls -- a nearly 9-to-1 ratio.

Short interest has been on the rise, too. During the most recent reporting period, short interest swelled 57.2%, and now makes up 23.4% of WBAI's total float -- though this would take less than two days to repurchase, at the stock's typical daily trading levels.

The overwhelming negativity can be explained by looking at the charts. Prior to today's news-induced gains, 500.com Ltd (NYSE:WBAI) was sitting on a year-over-year deficit of 74%. The shares have also underperformed the S&P 500 Index (SPX) by close to 43 percentage points during the last two months.

Expedia Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE) is 3.8% higher at $97.76 -- and earlier notched a fresh all-time high of $98.31 -- after Cowen and Company raised its price target on the stock to $115 from $90 while keeping its "outperform" opinion. What's more, the travel firm also announced it has agreed to purchase Amgen, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AMGN) Seattle waterfront property(subscription required) for $228.9 million, which will serve as the company's new headquarters. On the charts, EXPE has been a long-term technical outperformer, with the shares up 33.1% year-over-year. In light of all this, some traders are betting on EXPE to continue its ascension to new highs, as call activity in the options pits is ramping up.

Drilling down, calls are exchanging hands at six times the average daily rate, and are outpacing puts by a roughly 2-to-1 margin. The day's most active contract by far is the May 105 call, where buy-to-open activity has been detected, per data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE). By purchasing this call, speculators expect the security to muscle its way north of the strike price by the close on Friday, May 15, when the option expires. EXPE has never been north of $100.

However, today's penchant for calls marks a change of pace in the options pits. EXPE's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) is 1.09, which sits in the 87th percentile of its annual range. Simply stated, short-term traders have rarely been this put-heavy over the past year. Looking elsewhere, short sellers have taken a shine to the security as well, as 11% of the stock's available float is sold short. Furthermore, it would take nearly eight sessions for these traders to cover their bets, at average trading volumes.

The brokerage bunch is mostly lukewarm on Expedia Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE) too. Specifically, 56% of covering analysts rate the stock a "hold" or worse. Additionally, EXPE's consensus 12-month price target of $91.36 sits well below current trading levels, suggesting additional price-target hikes and/or upgrades could be on the horizon.

Commercial real estate concern CBRE Group Inc (NYSE:CBG) is defying broad-market headwinds, and option traders today are gambling on even higher highs for the stock. At last check, the equity was up 6.3% at $38.69 -- and earlier notched a seven-year peak of $38.99 -- on news of a planned $1.48 billion purchase of a Johnson Controls Inc (NYSE:JCI) unit.

CBG calls are trading at four times the average intraday pace, and have more than quadrupled puts thus far. In light of the news and subsequent rally, the equity's 30-day at-the-money implied volatility has popped 18.4% to 24.7% -- higher than three-quarters of all other readings from the past year.

Specifically, CBG has already seen more than 1,000 calls cross the tape. To put things in perspective, fewer than 6,000 total CBG calls are currently open right now. Most popular is the April 39 call, which traders are buying to open to bet on a move north of $39 by the close on Friday, April 17, when front-month options expire. Amid the security's rally, delta on the call skyrocketed to 0.45, from 0.045 at yesterday's close, indicating a roughly 45% chance of expiring in the money.

Even before today's M&A headlines -- shared with this media firm -- CBRE Group Inc (NYSE:CBG) was on the rise, boasting a year-over-year gain of nearly 33%. In fact, the security was exploring multi-year highs just last week. As such, it's not surprising to find most of Wall Street already in the bulls' corner. Short interest accounts for less than 1% of CBG's total available float, and all four analysts covering the shares consider them worthy of a "strong buy."

Teck Resources Ltd (USA) (NYSE:TCK) has plunged 9.2% today to trade at $13.86, after the company denied rumors it is in merger talks with Antofagasta PLC. The drop has landed TCK on the short-sale restricted list. Meanwhile, options traders are exchanging TCK puts at an accelerated clip.

Diving right in, TCK puts are crossing the tape at nearly four times the average intraday rate, and outstripping calls by a more than 3-to-1 margin. One strike seeing notable activity is the out-of-the-money April 12 put, which is being sold to open. In other words, these option writers anticipate TCK will remain above the strike through the close on Friday, April 17, when front-month options expire. Data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE) confirms this theory.

Short-term puts have been popular in TCK's options pits for a while. The commodities stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) checks in at 3.32, signaling put open interest more than triples call open interest among options in the front three-months' series. What's more, the SOIR is higher than 90% of comparable readings from the last 52 weeks.

On the technical front, Teck Resources Ltd (NYSE:TCK) has had a woeful time over the long term. Year-over-year, the shares have slid 36.4%, and are facing upside resistance in the form of their 32-week moving average.

J C Penney Company Inc (NYSE:JCP) gapped higher out of the gate, thanks to a price-target lift at Piper Jaffray to $14, representing a 69% premium to current levels -- and territory not charted since September 2013. The development hasn't been lost on option traders, as 15,027 calls have changed hands thus far, a figure higher than 95% of readings from the past year, and five times the expected intraday volume.

Between the weekly 4/2 and the April series, the 8-strike call is popular today. With JCP's 5.9% lead to trade at $8.29, it's possible some of the action here is profit-taking. Elsewhere, the January 2016 10-strike call has seen apparent buy-to-open action, as traders bet on the shares to climb atop the round-number $10 level by January expiration.

This is the second day in a row calls have been in demand in JCP's options pits. Now, the equity's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) call/put volume ratio of 3.73 ranks higher than 92% of all similar readings from the past year.

J C Penney Company Inc (NYSE:JCP) has been on a roll of late. The shares have added nearly 28% in 2015, and have surpassed their average 12-month price target of $8.15 with today's gains.

Speculators have displayed a growing preference for long calls over puts in Comcast Corporation's (NASDAQ:CMCSA) options pits of late. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the stock's 10-day call/put volume ratio has jumped to 1.94 from 0.47 over the past week. What's more, the current ratio ranks in the 61st annual percentile, indicating calls have been bought to open over puts at a slightly faster-than-usual clip.

It's a similar set-up in today's trading, with calls changing hands at 1.6 times what's typically seen at this point in the day, and outpacing puts by a more than 7-to-1 margin. Traders have set their sights on the $56 mark, with buy-to-open activity detected at CMCSA's weekly 4/2 and 4/10 56-strike calls. By initiating these long calls, speculators expect the stock to extend its lead north of the strike by the respective expiration dates.

At last check, the equity was 0.2% higher at $56.71. This just echoes the security's longer-term prowess, up 13.6% over the past 52 weeks. Helping the stock higher has been its 160-day moving average -- a trendline that has served as a springboard for CMCSA during a handful of its previous pullbacks, including at the end of last week and earlier today.

Off the charts, Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) announced it is creating a new investment company to be headed by its current Chief Financial Officer Michael Angelakis -- leaving CMCSA on the hunt to fill the position. Separately, a big acquisition unveiled earlier today is contingent upon U.S. regulators approving the proposed merger between CMCSA and Time Warner Inc (NYSE:TWX).