A huge flurry of action seen for puts on Netflix as their stock continues to tank. Shares of Netflix (NLFX) are down over 63% since July.
Netflix, Inc. – The bloodbath at Netflix accelerated Thursday afternoon, with shares in the provider of subscription streaming service down 13.0% at $110.59 as of 2:00 pm in New York. Investors began purging their portfolios of NFLX more aggressively in recent weeks, but the stock’s pull back began in July. Shares peaked at an all-time high of $304.79 on July 13, and have since lost nearly 65.0% of their value. Frenzied trading in NFLX weekly options that have one more day of trading left before expiration suggest we may see the stock extend losses through the end of the week.
While trading in Sept. ’30 contract calls and puts is mixed across the board, it does appear that bearish positions are more prevalent today. Certainly, the surge in demand for deep out-of-the-money puts on the stock is a sign of the times. More than 2,300 puts changed hands at the Sept. ’30 $100 strike against open interest of 621 contracts. Buyers of at least 930 of the contracts paid an average premium of $0.24 each this afternoon.
Sept. ’30 $115 puts are the most active, with volume in excess of 10,100 contracts in play. Buyers of the now deep in-the-money contracts outnumbered sellers, and purchased around 3,800 of the puts for an average premium of $2.05 a-pop. The cost of protective puts on Netflix have climbed steadily throughout the session, helped by the hemorrhaging in its shares, and the more than 15.4% surge in implied volatility to 89.5% today. Options volume on the stock is fast approaching 155,000 contracts as of 2:15 pm EDT.