Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) options are hot as the stock explores 2015 highs
While the major market indexes have lost their mojo ahead of this afternoon's highly anticipated Fed statement, the shares of Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) are trading north of $260 for the first time since October. Specifically, TSLA was last seen 2.8% higher at $260.17, thanks to an endorsement from Baron Capital founder Ron Baron. What's more, Tesla option traders are rolling the dice on more short-term upside for the stock.
TSLA's 30-day at-the-money implied volatility has jumped 3.3% to 33.1%, and overall options volume is running at twice the average intraday clip. However, calls are the options of choice, outpacing puts by a margin of nearly 2-to-1.
June-dated calls account for the four most popular contracts, with buy-to-open action detected at the 255 and 260 strikes. By purchasing the calls to open, the buyers expect TSLA to extend its momentum north of the strikes through Friday's close, when front-month options expire.
TSLA has been on fire recently, outperforming the broader S&P 500 Index (SPX) by roughly 21 percentage points during the past two months. As alluded to earlier, the stock is enjoying a lift this afternoon, after Baron said TSLA could be valued at $120 billion in four to five years -- more than three times its current worth -- and expects annual revenue to skyrocket more than tenfold by 2020.
What's more, a short-squeeze could help Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) continue higher. More than a quarter of the stock's float is dedicated to short interest, representing close to eight sessions' worth of pent-up buying demand, at the electric automaker's average pace of trading.