There's speculation Apple Inc. (AAPL) may attempt to buy BlackBerry Ltd (BBRY)
M&A rumors are once again surrounding BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY), and the possible takeover candidate is none other than Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The speculation has call volume at twice the expected intraday level in BBRY's options pits, as the May 10.50 strike is seeing heavy action. Over 14,00 contracts have crossed here -- twice that of the next closest option -- and it looks like buy-to-open activity has taken place. In other words, traders are betting on BBRY to topple $10.50 by Friday's close, when the options expire.
If the equity -- currently at $10.20 -- can get past recent congestion in the $10.50 area and extend its 39% year-over-year lead, there's potential for an unwinding of pessimism to boost the shares. For starters, almost 17% of BBRY's float is sold short, representing nearly 11 sessions of trading, at normal daily volumes.
And then there are analysts. Of the 19 brokerage firms covering the stock, 16 say it's a "hold" or worse. In other words, there's a chance BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) could benefit from a short-squeeze situation and/or analyst upgrades. In fact, this may already be happening. During the most recent reporting period, short interest on BBRY fell 11.8%.