Shares in beauty products company Elizabeth Arden, Inc. (Ticker: RDEN) are lower on this summer Friday and options contracts changing hands on the name suggest one or more traders are bracing for further declines in the price of the stock in the near future. RDEN shares are off 0.90% at $20.17 as of 11:00 a.m. ET amid a volatile morning for U.S. stocks, which opened in rally-mode before turning negative on reports of escalating Russia/Ukraine tension.
The most traded options on RDEN thus far in the session are the Sep 20.0 strike puts, with volume hovering near 1,500 contracts against open interest of 360 contracts. Time and sales data suggests most of the put options were purchased at a premium of $1.50 each within the first half hour of the opening bell. Put buyers may be looking ahead to Elizabeth Arden’s fourth-quarter earnings report set for release ahead of the open on Tuesday of next week. Put buyers may profit at September expiration in the event that RDEN shares drop more than 8.0% from the current level of $20.17 to breach the effective breakeven price of $18.50. RDEN shares last traded below $18.50 back in September of 2010.
Chart – Elizabeth Arden shares hover near three-year low
