Is the Options Market Predicting a Spike in Axis Capital Stock?
What is Implied Volatility?
Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that may cause a big rally or a huge sell off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy.
What do the Analysts Think?
Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for Axis Capital share, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, Axis Capital is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) in the Insurance - Property and Casualty Industry that ranks in the Top 23% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, no analyst has increased his estimate for the current quarter, while none have revised their estimate downwards. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter to move from $2.60 per share to $2.52 cents in the same time period.
Given the way analysts feel about Axis Capital right now, this huge implied volatility could mean there's a trade developing. Often times, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected.
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Axis Capital Holdings Limited (AXS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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