Smith & Wesson Brands reported upbeat fiscal fourth-quarter results
The shares of Smith & Wesson Brands Inc (NASDAQ:SWBI) are surging today, up 11.1% to trade at $22.14 at last check. The firearms name reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $1.71 per share -- much higher than analysts' anticipated $1.02 per share -- and better-than-expected revenue. Plus, the company says that is has a solid foundation for long-term success, and sales jumped 67% in comparison to this quarter last year. In response, Wedbush and Cowen & Company raised their price targets to $22 and $30.50, respectively.
Today's pop has SWBI back above the $22 level, a familiar level of pressure for nearly a year. Should the equity break out past it, it will near its Jan. 6 four-year high of $23.57. Year-to-date, the stock is up 24.7%.
It's also worth noting that the rising short interest accounts for 9.8% of Smith & Wesson stock's available float. In other words, it would take over three days to buy back these bearish bets at SWBI's average pace of trading.
Meanwhile, despite calls outnumbering puts on an absolute basis, puts have been much more popular than usual. This is per the security's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 0.33 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which stands higher than 91% of readings from the past year.
Today, options bulls are targeting SWBI with fervor, with call volume running at 15 times what's typically seen at this point. So far, 15,000 calls have crossed the tape, with the most popular June 22.50 call, followed by the 20 call in the same session.
These options are attractively priced, too. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 60% stands higher than just 4% of all other readings in its annual range, implying that options players are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations at the moment.