The company reported better-than-expected fiscal second-quarter earnings and revenue
Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) stock is up 2.8% to trade at $93.94 at last check, after the company's fiscal second-quarter report. The title insurance name announced earnings of $2.40 per share, which is just higher than Wall Street's anticipated earnings of $2.36, as well as better-than-expected revenue.
Earlier trading as high as $95.25, LEN is attempting to break out past pressure at the $93 level. Though the equity has been moving lower since its May 10 record high of $110.61, the steadily ascending 130-day moving average has moved in as close support. Year-to-date, the stock is up 26.2%.
Analysts are split on Lennar stock, with seven of the 14 in coverage carrying a "buy" or better rating, with seven a tepid "hold." Meanwhile, the 12-month consensus price target of $109.83 is a 16.9% premium to current levels.
Meanwhile, puts are more popular in the options pits than they have been all year. This is per LEN's 50-day put/call volume ratio of 0.93 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which stands higher than all other readings in the stock's 12-month range.
Drilling down to today's options activity, this penchant for bearish bets is holding true. So far, 10,000 puts and 7,702 calls have crossed the tape, with puts running at 10 times their usual intraday average. The June 85 put is the most popular, followed by the 80 put in the same session, with plenty of traders betting on a downside for Lennar stock by the end of this week.
Plus, these options are well-priced. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 32% stands higher than 8% of all other readings in its annual range, implying that options players are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations at the moment.