Pacira BioSciences (PCRX) Dips After Breaking to Multi-Year Highs

This week we are looking at another of the Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) Top 50 List companies.  We use this list in one of our options portfolios to spot outperforming stocks and place option spreads that take advantage of the momentum.

PCRX showed strong upward momentum last month and briefly traded at levels not seen in nearly five years. Several analysts think the stock can continue to gain, the following two articles provide details – IBD 50 Stocks To Watch: This Pharma Stock On 115% Run Eyes Buy Point and $129.57 Million in Sales Expected for Pacira BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCRX) This Quarter.

Technicals

The upward move from November has resulted in a bullish candlestick pattern on a monthly chart that suggests dips will be bought over the near-term. The stock has pulled back from its multi-year highs but is seen approaching a strong confluence of support. This comes from an intersection of the 50 and 100-Day moving averages, currently around $58.50.

PCRX Chart December 2020

If you agree there’s further upside ahead for PCRX, consider this trade which relies on the stock remaining above the $60 level through the expiration in six weeks.

Buy To Open PCRX 15JAN20 57.5 Puts (PCRX200115P57.5)
Sell To Open PCRX 15JAN20 60 Puts (PCRX200115P60) for a credit of $1.13 (selling a vertical)

This credit is $0.02 less than the mid-point of the option spread when PCRX was trading near $61.  Unless the stock rallies quickly from here, you should be able to get close to this amount.

Your commission on this trade will be only $1.30 per spread.  Each spread would then yield $111.70. This reduces your buying power by $250 and makes your investment $138.30 ($250 – $111.70).  If PCRX closes at any price above $60 on January 15, both options will expire worthless, and your return on the spread would be 81% ($111.70 / $138.30), or 758% annualized.

Changes to Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) Top 50 This Week:

IBD Underlying Updates December 5, 2020

We have found that the Investor’s Business Daily Top 50 List has been a reliable source of stocks that are likely to move higher in the short run.  Recent additions to the list might be particularly good choices for this strategy, and deletions might be good indicators for exiting a position that you might already have on that stock.

As with all investments, you should only make option trades with money that you can truly afford to lose.

Happy trading,

Terry