The shares of Aerojet Rocketdyne are nearing their record highs this morning
The shares of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc (NYSE:AJRD) are up 1.8% at $55.85 this morning, after the company agreed to be bought by L3Harris Technologies (LHX) in a cash deal worth $4.7 billion, or $58 per share. L3Harris is looking to benefit on a rising demand for missiles, and the agreement is expected to close in 2023.
AJRD surged to a record high of $56 on Nov. 30, with the pullback from here captured by the 30-day moving average. Since then, the stock hasn't strayed far from this level, finding support at the $53 mark.
An unwinding of pessimism could put additional wind at the stock's back, as options traders are surprisingly bearish. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), 2.40 puts have been exchanged for every call during the past two weeks. This ratio stands higher than 90% of readings from the past year, implying a much healthier-than-usual appetite for puts of late.
Now could be an ideal time to speculate on AJRD's next move with options, too. The equity's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 28% stands higher than just 9% of readings from the past year. In other words, options players are pricing in low volatility expectations for the security at the moment.