Halliburton Co. (HAL)

Lot 2022-2

Update 7/19/2022: I exited my short bull put vertical spread on HAL, 31 days before expiration, for a $0.78 debit per contract/share, a profit before fees of $14 per contract. Shares were trading at $29.94, up $0.96 from the entry level.

The Implied Volatility Rank at exit was 69.1%, down 6.9 points from the entry level.

I exited on the day after entry for 17.9% of maximum potential profit, short of my goal for earnings plays of 25% of max. HAL beat projected earnings, as expected, but only by a little.

Shares rose by 3.3% over one day for a +1,209% annual rate. The options position produced a 21.9% return for a +7,984% annual rate.

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I have entered a short bull put vertical spread on HAL, using options that trade for the last time 32 days hence, on August 19. The premium is a $0.78 credit per contract share and the stock at the time of entry was priced at $28.98.

The Implied Volatility Ratio stood at 76.0%.

Premium:	$0.78	Expire OTM
HAL-bull put spread	Strike	Odds	Delta
Puts
Long	25.50	74.0%	21
Break-even	28.78	64.7%	27
Short	28.00	55.4%	33

The premium is 62.4% of the width of the position’s short/long spread. The profit zone covers a 0.7% move to the downside and an unlimited move to the upside.

The risk/reward ratio is 2.2:1, with maximum risk of $172 and maximum reward of $78 per contract.

How I chose the trade. The trade was placed to coincide with HAL’s earnings announcement, before the opening bell on the day after entry. The short strikes were set to coincide with the expected move of $1.60 either way, based on options pricing, which gives a price range of $27.38 to $30.58.

By Tim Bovee, Portland, Oregon, July 18, 2022

Disclaimer

Tim Bovee, Private Trader tracks the analysis and trades of a private trader for his own accounts. Nothing in this blog constitutes a recommendation to buy or sell stocks, options or any other financial instrument. The only purpose of this blog is to provide education and entertainment.

No trader is ever 100 percent successful in his or her trades. Trading in the stock and option markets is risky and uncertain. Each trader must make trading decisions for his or her own account, and take responsibility for the consequences.

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