Shares in Ulta Salon Cosmetics & Fragrances Inc. (Ticker: ULTA) rose more than 9.0% to as high as $97.86 on Friday morning, the highest price for the stock since the first trading day of the year, after the company released results for the fourth quarter and reported same-store sales growth above its estimated range. The rise in ULTA shares spurred heavier than usual options trading on the stock, with volume up above 13,000 contracts as of 1:15 p.m. EDT, which is roughly three times the average daily reading. Much of the volume is concentrated in the March expiry calls, with the heaviest trading seen in the Mar $97.5 strike calls.
Looking out to activity in the September expiry options today, one trader appears to be positioning for the price of Ulta Salon’s shares to potentially gain another 20% over the current share price of $95.80 to hit $115.00 by expiration in six months. It looks like the strategist purchased a 200-lot Sep 95/115 call spread for a net premium of $7.15 per contract. The trade is profitable at expiration if shares in ULTA trade 7.0% higher than the current price to top the effective breakeven point at $102.15, with maximum potential profits of $12.85 per contract available on the spread given a 20% rally in the share price to $115.00. The stock traded up to an all-time high of $132.72 as recently as November 18th of last year.
