SNAP just scored even more record highs during today's session
Below is a list of 20 stocks that have attracted the highest weekly options volume in the last 10 trading days, courtesy of Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White, with highlighted names new to the list. One name that consistently shows up on this list is social media mogul Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP).
The security has enjoyed an overwhelming amount of upside for most of the fourth quarter, thanks to an impressive third-quarter earnings report back in October. SNAP has since gone on to notch record highs on a weekly basis, with two brief pullbacks captured by the 30-day moving average. Today is no exception. In fact, shares hit a fresh peak of $49.65 earlier in the session, and are looking to grab their fourth consecutive closing high, should these gains hold. At last check, SNAP is up 2% at $49.06.
Options bulls are likely cheering this upwards momentum, based on the recent activity surrounding the security. White's data shows 734,491 calls exchanged during the past 10 days, compared to 255,489 puts. The most popular during this time period was the weekly 12/4 48-strike call, followed by the 50-strike call from the same series, with 201,034 contracts exchanged between the two. A look at today's trading shows 82,000 calls and 28,000 puts exchanged so far. The weekly 12/11 50- and 54-strike calls are proving to be quite popular, with positions being opened at both.
There's still plenty of pessimism elsewhere that could unwind and push SNAP higher in the coming weeks. Starting with analyst sentiment, seven of the 27 in coverage still say "hold" or worse. In addition, the 12-month consensus price target of $40.82 is a notable 16.8% discount to current levels.
Now could be a good time to speculate on SNAP's next move with options. The security's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 56% stands higher than just 20% of readings from the past year, suggesting options players are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations at the moment. What's more the stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) ranks at 93 out of a possible 100. This means Snap stock has tended to exceed volatility expectations during the past 12 months -- a good thing for options buyers.