Biggest Bearish Activity 2.27.2013

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Bear CNBC Day TradingPaper bought 1400 TOO March 27 Puts for $.55 (6.0 times usual volume) when stock was trading $27.43
Paper bought 1300 TIBX March 21 Puts for $.50 when stock was trading $21.69
Paper sold 10,000 FLO March 25 Puts for $.15 (12.9 times usual volume) when stock was trading $28.61
Paper sold 4296 AUXL Sep 12.5 Puts for $.65 (15.7 times usual volume) when stock was trading $16.86
Paper sold 950 SKUL June 6 Puts for $.85 when stock was trading $6.16

Biggest Bullish Activity 2.27.2013

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bullish Option Trade earnings.pngPaper bought 2240 ASTX July 3 Calls for $.70 (6.4 times usual volume) when stock was trading $3.22
Paper bought 2000 LBTYK April 75 Calls for $.275 (1029 times usual volume) when stock was trading $62.69
Paper bought 1125 DGI March 25 Calls for $2.40 (4.5 times usual volume) when stock was trading $27
Paper bought 5000 CHRW May 60 Calls for $1.20 (2.6 times usual volume) when stock was trading $56.23
Paper bought 3011 EXPD May 40 Calls for $1.05 when stock was trading $37.52

Unusual Options Activity 2.27.2013

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rok-tabs-kotmPaper sold 10,000 RDN Jan 2014 5 Puts for $.45 (5.0 times usual volume) when stock was trading $8.42
Paper bought 19,884 LCC March 14-16 Call Spread for $.19 when stock was trading $13.46
Paper bought 9632 ENDP April 30-35 Call Spread for $1.45 (4.9 times usual volume) when stock was trading $1.45
Paper bought 9218 ELN July 11 Calls for $.80 when stock was trading $11.09
Paper bought 1131 TIVO March 13 Calls for $.26 when stock was trading $12.53

HLF Update (HLF, NUS) 2.27.2013

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Later on, D.A. Davidson reiterated a buy rating on HLF shares and issued a $78 price target as a result of adjusted 2013 EPS.

During the HLF conference call, the firm decided to announce a series of operational and financial changes to the company, calling it the ‘Build it Better’ program. The firm also disclosed that there have not been any updates to the SEC inquiry.  During the after market, shares turned negative after the call ended.  HLF reported 22% YoY EPS increase.

According to news sources, Ackman was not allowed to ask questions during the call. HLF CEO also said that he had ‘short discussions’ with activist investor Carl Icahn, but he had, ‘nothing concrete to report.’ Additionally, CEO Michael Johnson said that, “we continue to believe, obviously, that the stock represents a compelling investment opportunity.”

Later on in the week, HLF decided to recall some of their shake mix products. According to sources, the mixes contained some traces of dairy products when they were propertied to be dairy-free.

HLF is displayed below.

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HLF update

What Would A Stock Split Mean for Apple (AAPL)? 2.27.2013

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Well, a stock split is very straightforward. All it means, in this case, is the price will be chopped in half to $224 and the shares outstanding will double. This doesn’t affect the market cap of Apple, or the value of your current shares. The whole point of doing this would be to allow more investors/traders to pick shares of Apple. The concept of stock splits is no revolutionary idea, they are just a way to create some buzz and allow more people to get their hands on the stock. But hey, when the stock is down 36% in 5 months, splitting the stock might not be that bad of an idea! Can I hear a 3-1 or 4-1 split?

Apples pile of cash is no secret to anyone, as it continues to grow as you read this. But what could they possibly do with $135 billion that could satisfy investors? Increase the yield? Sure, if you own 10 million shares and are seeing these payouts extremely beneficial to your pockets. But for the average investor/trader that is not the case. What would be beneficial is to actually do something with that money, such as innovate and buy up companies that bring value. I truly miss the days where Apple would come out with a breath taking product twice a year. Of course Steve Jobs is gone, but is the vision?! I don’t think so, but its clear an ‘X’ factor is missing.

The meeting tomorrow will hopefully clear the air for everyone, and I do expect Apple to announce a stock split. But, what truly matters here is if Tim Cook is focused on quieting the whining from investors, or, focused on getting that Apple mojo back during the Job days.

Author: Peter Nitso
pnitso@yahoo.com
Twitter: @PeterNitso