The shares of Tech Data Corp (NASDAQ:TECD) are up 10.8% to trade at $123.40, and earlier secured a record high of $125.10, after a Reuters report indicated buyout firm Apollo Global Management placed a $5 billion bid for the technology distributor. It's uncertain if Tech Data will engage in discussions, while both sides have declined to comment on the matter. On top of that, Stifel chimed in with a price-target hike to $125 from $105, right in line with TECD's new highs.
All of this adds up to TECD's sixth straight win, and longest winning streak since February. Since a late-August bottom near $80 --the site of its year-to-date breakeven point -- Tech Data stock had added 39% from yesterday's close at $111.34. During this climb, a pullback earlier this month found support at the shares' 30-day moving average.
There could be more bull notes to come, considering three-quarters of the analysts in coverage rate TECD a "hold" or "sell." On top of that, the stock's consensus 12-month price target of $114.20 is now a discount to its current perch.
In the options pits, short-term traders were heavily call-skewed coming into today. The equity's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.51 shows calls doubled puts among contracts expiring within three months. Plus, this ratio ranks in the bottom percentile of its annual range, indicating short-term option players haven't been this call-heavy during the past 12 months.
For those that want to join in on the fun, now looks to be an attractive time to jump on the security with options. The equity's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 31% registers in the 13th percentile of its annual range, meaning near-term options premiums are pricing in unusually low volatility expectations.