The blue chip could become the third biggest gaming company
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is down 1.5% at $305.66 this morning, after the blue-chip company announced it will buy gaming concern Activision Blizzard (ATVI) for $68.7 billion in cash, or $95 per share, which is a 45% premium ATVI's Friday close. This marks the biggest deal in the sector, and could help Microsoft become the third biggest gaming name in terms of revenue.
MSFT has been testing a floor at the $305 level since cooling from its Nov. 22, all-time high of $349.67. Microsoft stock has also been trading below long-time support at the 60-day moving average for the first time since October, though year-over-year the equity still sports a 45.9% lead.
Options traders have been more bearish than usual. This is per the stock's 50-day put/call volume ratio of 0.50 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which sits higher than 86% of readings from the past year. In other words, while calls are outnumbering puts on an overall basis, this high percentile indicates a strong appetite for long puts lately.
It is also worth noting Microsoft stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) stands at an elevated 91 out of 100. This means MSFT has exceeded options traders' volatility expectations during the past year.