Fitbit Inc, GoPro Inc Options Catch Fire After Wearables Demand Spikes

Options traders are targeting Fitbit Inc (NYSE:FIT) and GoPro Inc (NASDAQ:GPRO) today, after retailer Best Buy Co Inc (NYSE:BBY) cited growing demand for wearable technology as one reason behind its impressive quarterly results. Below, we'll break down the data on FIT and GPRO to see how options traders are positioning themselves. 

Starting with FIT, the stock is up 4.2% at $15.05, as it tries to carve out a foothold above the $15 level and the 160-day moving average. A strong showing in the earnings booth early in the month has propelled FIT to a 10% gain in August, prompting Longbow to reiterate its "buy" recommendation and $20 price target, citing the company's international growth potential. It looks like this upbeat sentiment is shared by options traders, too. 

So far today, more than 18,000 FIT calls have traded, compared to roughly 3,000 puts. This puts FIT's intraday call volume in the 90th percentile of its annual range. A chunk of today's activity has gone down at the weekly 8/26 15.50-strike call, where it looks like new positions are being purchased. If this is the case, FIT options traders are betting on extended gains from the stock before the contracts expire at the close this Friday. 

Of course, bullish options activity is nothing new from FIT options traders. During the past two weeks at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), more than nine calls have been bought to open for every put. The resulting call/put volume ratio of 9.28 sits just 10 percentage points from a 12-month high. 

Turning to GPRO, the stock was last seen 2.9% higher at $15.64. The shares have been strong in recent weeks, and are now eyeing their first close above the 10-month moving average in over a year. Meanwhile in the options pits, traders are placing bets on both sides of the aisle. 

Diving right in, the November 15 put is the most popular overall strike. Close behind is the weekly 8/26 15-strike put. It looks like traders are buying to open positions in both series, expecting the stock to fall back below $15 by the respective expiration dates. On the call side, the weekly 8/26 15-, 15.50-, 16-, and 16.50-strike calls are all among the most popular today, and buyers of these options foresee more upside through week's end.

Like FIT, heavy call buying is the norm in GPRO's options pits. At the ISE, CBOE, and PHLX, the stock boasts a 10-day call/put volume ratio of 2.27, which outranks three-fourths of the past year's readings. 

Finally, it appears to be an opportune time to target short-term Fitbit Inc (NYSE:FIT) and GoPro Inc (NASDAQ:GPRO) options. For starters, the options market is pricing in unusually low volatility expectations for both, according to the stocks' respective Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) readings of 46% and 57% -- both of which sit near the bottom of their annual ranges. This may be especially noteworthy for GPRO, since analysts are predicting heightened volatility in the near future. Furthermore, short interest accounts for more than one-third of each stock's float, meaning there's plenty of sideline cash available to keep these rallies going. 

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