Options Brief: Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY)

BMY – Bristol Myers Squibb Co. – The global biopharmaceutical company’s shares are trading 2.15% higher this afternoon to $25.17 on news Pfizer, Inc., its partner in creating the drug apixaban, ended a trial of an experimental blood thinner that reportedly helps reduce stroke risk in certain patients. Bristol-Myers Squibb’s shares were also helped higher by an upgrade to ‘outperform’ from ‘market perform’ at Leerink Swann, and an upgrade to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ at Citigroup. Earlier in the trading session BMY’s shares rose 4.5% to attain an intraday high of $25.76. Bullish options traders populating the July contract sold short 2,000 puts at the July $23 strike for an average premium of $0.31 per contract. Investors selling the puts may retain the full premium received on the transaction as long as Bristol-Myers’ shares exceed $23.00 through July expiration. Individuals short the puts are prepared to have shares of the underlying stock put to them at an effective price of $22.69 each if the put contracts land in-the-money by expiration day next month.