Guess? stock just reported smaller-than-expected second-quarter losses
Apparel concern Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES) threw its hat into the earnings ring this morning, reporting a smaller-than-expected second-quarter loss. Revenue came in better than Wall Street's estimates, while the company also announced it will reinstate its dividend. As a result, the shares of GES are surging, up 15.7% to trade at $13.91 this morning.
On the charts, GES rapidly recovered after bottoming out at a 17-year low of $3.64 on March 18, more than tripling to $13.88 by June 5. Still, the equity is facing a 37.1% year-to-date-deficit, but just breached pressure from its 180-day moving average -- a trendline that's acted in such a capacity since late February. Now, GES is facing off with its 320-day moving average.
Meanwhile, Guess? stock calls have doubled puts in the last 10 days -- 2,533 calls versus 1,094 puts. Despite this, a massive appetite for puts among short-term traders is evident, according to the security's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 6.32, which ranks higher than all but 2% of readings from the past year.
Today's options pits are rather bullish, however, with over 3,000 calls crossing the tape in the first hour of trading alone -- 40 times the intraday average and volume pacing in the 100th percentile of its annual range. The most popular option is the September 12 call, followed by the 15 call from the same series.
Options traders should note that Guess? stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 141% ranks in the 31st percentile of its annual range. This means that near-term options traders are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations, a boon for premium buyers.