Snap Options Traders Eye a Post-Earnings Breakout

Snap shares have been spinning their wheels in a narrow range for the past month

Apr 27, 2017 at 3:40 PM
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Shares of Snapchat parent Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP) have failed to build any meaningful momentum. While the stock is up 2% at $22.00 this afternoon, they've largely been chopping between $20-$22 for the past month. However, some options traders foresee a breakout for SNAP shares in the not-too-distant future.

Today, the weekly 5/12 22-strike call  -- SNAP's most active option -- is seeing buy-to-open activity, as confirmed by Trade-Alert. The same may be transpiring at the May 22 call, as well. In other words, SNAP options traders foresee the stock toppling $22 by the respective expiration dates, at the close on Friday, May 12 and 19.

Both SNAP options encompass the company's first earnings report since its initial public offering (IPO) in March. Specifically, the inaugural data dump is scheduled the morning of Wednesday, May 10. Currently, the options market is pricing in a bold 15.3% move, regardless of direction, for the session subsequent to Snap earnings.

However, with such massive volatility expectations being priced in, short-term Snap Inc options have grown relatively expensive. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 67% ranks just 4 percentage points from an annual peak. Plus, SNAP stock's 30-day at-the-money implied volatility of 66.3% outstrips 91% of comparable readings from the last year.

 

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