The tech giant is acquiring a communications software company for $730 million
The shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) are down 1% at $43.93 this morning, after the tech giant agreed to buy London-based cloud communications software company IMImobile in a cash deal valued at $730 million, including debt. The acquired company provides services for businesses to connect with customers through social, messaging and voice.
If you're looking for an explainer for today's breather, look no further than CSCO's 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 74-- firmly in "overbought" territory -- which indicates a short-term breather may have already been in the cards.
Cisco stock has experienced its fair share of volatility on the charts this year. After the security dropped to a March 16, three-year low of $32.40, shares rallied back up to the $48 mark by August. And though the equity slipped to the $35 mark once again in October, on Friday CSCO cleared its 320-day moving average, a trendline that contained its August rally.
Short-term traders are leaning bearish in the options pits. This is per the stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.04, which sits higher than 90% of readings from the past year. In other words, short-term option traders have rarely been more put-biased.
Now could be an opportune time to take advantage of the security's next move with options. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 22% sits in the particularly low 7th percentile of its annual range. This means CSCO currently sports attractively priced premiums.
Plus, the equity's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) stands high at 73 out of 100. In other words, Cisco stock has exceeded option traders' volatility expectations during the past year -- a boon for options buyers.