Bank of America's third-quarter earnings report showed top- and bottom-line beats
Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) stepped into the earnings confessional this morning, joining other bank names in the unofficial beginning to another earnings season. Bank of America reported third-quarter profits of 85 cents per share, well above Wall Street's estimates of 71 cents per share, on revenue of $22.87 billion, which also beat expectations. Contributing to these results was the release of $1.1 billion in loss reserves, and strong advisory and asset management fees. As a result, BAC was last seen up 2.5% at $43.14.
Ripping up the charts this year, Bank of America stock boasts a 42.3% year-to-date lead which culminated in an Oct. 7, record high of $44.89. Though the equity is coming off a three-day losing streak, it's found support at its 20-day moving average. Longer term, the security is up 85% year-over-year.
Options traders are targeting Bank of America stock in response. In the first hour of trading, 53,000 calls and 30,000 puts have crossed the tape, which is triple the amount that's typically seen at this point. Most popular by far is the October 45 call, which is set to expire at the conclusion of tomorrow's session.
A broader look shows options traders have been much more bearish than usual over the last two weeks.This is per the security's 10-day call/put volume ratio at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which sits higher than all other readings from the past year.
Now could be a good opportunity to take advantage of BAC's next move with options. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 27% sits in the relatively low 22nd percentile of its annual range, indicating the equity sports attractively priced premiums at the moment.