Nio reported 9,985 vehicle deliveries in March
The shares of Nio Inc (NYSE:NIO) are surging today, last seen up 7.2% at $22.57 at last check, after the China-based electric vehicle (EV) maker reported 9,985 vehicle deliveries for March -- a 37.6% year-over-year rise. In addition, the company saw an increase of 28.5% for the first quarter, with 25,768 EVs delivered.
On the charts, Nio stock continues to recover from a March 15, roughly two-year low of $13.01. The company's March 24 earnings report stifled that recovery effort for a few sessions, with NIO nabbing a 9.4% post-earnings dip. The security is fresh off its fifth-straight monthly loss, and sits 29.1% lower year-to-date.
Options bulls are swarming the EV stock today. So far, 203,000 calls have exchanged hands, or three times the intraday average, easily outpacing the 45,000 puts traded. The two most popular contracts -- the 4/1 23- and 24-strike calls -- are seeing positions being opened, indicating these traders expect even more upside for NIO before today's close.
Today's bullish options activity is in stark contrast to the bearish sentiment in the last two weeks. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), NIO's 50-day put/call volume ratio ranks higher than 96% of readings in its annual range. This indicates there's been a healthier-than-usual appetite for long puts of late.
Shorts have been building their positions as well. Short interest increased 10.7% in the last two reporting periods, and the 80.83 million shares sold short account for 5.3% of NIO's available float. Should some of this pessimism start to unwind, the equity may surge higher still.