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GameStop Corp. puts were popular on Wednesday
It's been a tough year for GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME), with the shares off 31.4% to trade at $33.79. More recently, the equity has been pressured lower by its 20-day moving average -- currently located at $34.58 -- since an earnings-induced bearish gap in late November. Against this backdrop, options traders on Wednesday scooped up puts over calls at a 4-to-1 ratio, betting on the equity to continue to churn south of this trendline, and extend its negative price action into the new year.
Specifically, GME's February 35 put saw the most action in Wednesday's holiday-shortened session, and by all accounts, the majority of the 4,353 contracts traded were bought to open. Based on GME's present price, these puts are in the money. However, in order for the put buyers to profit at the close on Friday, Feb. 20 -- when back-month options expire -- GME must be sitting south of breakeven at $31.93 (strike less the volume-weighted average price of $3.07).
From a wider sentiment perspective, Wednesday's put-skewed session marked a change of pace in GameStop Corp.'s (NYSE:GME) options pits. 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 of 1.31 ranks in the 69th annual percentile. Simply stated, calls have been bought to open over puts at a faster-than-usual clip in recent weeks.