KHC just announced its intentions to cut $2 billion in spending
The shares of Kraft Heinz Co (NASDAQ:KHC) are rising today, after the company upped its third-quarter and fiscal year outlook for 2020, while also pledging to cut $2 billion in costs over the next five years. According to an interview from the Wall Street Journal with Kraft's Chief Executive Miguel Patricio, the company will make more strategic cuts than those made under his predecessors, when the company's brands lost billions of dollars in revenue. In response, Kraft Heinz stock is up 2.4%, last seen at $32.62.
Today's bounce has KHC reclaiming its year-to-date breakeven level. While still a far-cry away from its 2017 highs near $98, the equity has done a decent job bouncing off the $20 level from mid March, scoring an annual high of $36.36 on Aug. 20. And while the shares have pulled back some since then, their 120-day moving average stepped up as support earlier this month.
The options pits are chock full of bullish activity. KHC sports a 50-day call/put volume ratio of 6.48 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which sits in the lofty 80th percentile of its annual range. This means over six calls have been bought for every put over the last 10 weeks, showing a heather-than-usual appetite for long calls of late.
Today's options pits show a decent amount of activity as well, with over 4,500 calls and 1,000 puts exchanging hands -- triple the intraday average and volume pacing for the 96th percentile of its annual range. Most popular is the monthly September 33 call, followed by the October 35 call.
Lastly, options look like a good way to go when weighing in on KHC. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 36% sits higher than just 17% of readings in its annual range, suggesting short-term options are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations. Simply put, Kraft Heinz stock's near-term options are attractively priced at the moment.