Tag Archives: DRI

Option Trade of the Week – Where’s the Beef?


October 10, 2023

With earnings reports virtually dried up this week and wanting to stay on the bearish side, I had to go back a few weeks to find reports that failed to impress the Street. One name that popped up was a stock that we successfully played (28% profit) for a bullish winner back in March – Darden Restaurants (DRI), the sit-down restaurant chain conglomerate that includes Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Capital Grille, and the recently acquired Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

DRI reported earnings a couple of weeks ago. The numbers were solid, as the company beat estimates on both the top and bottom lines. Same-restaurant sales also handily beat expectations. Moreover, sales and profits were higher than a year earlier. The only negatives were slowing growth in its fine-dining holdings and some concern over its aggressive expansion plans amid a potential recessionary environment.

Analysts seemed unmoved by the seemingly positive news. The report was met with a mix of target price upgrades and more numerous downgrades. This left the average target in the $160-170 range, well above Friday’s $137 close. With no ratings changes, analysts remain firmly in the buy/outperform camp.

Perhaps analysts should take closer note of DRI’s stock chart and post-earnings performance. After hitting an all-time high in late July, the stock is down 21% and logged its lowest close in nearly a year on Friday. I’ll point out that the S&P 500 is down just 5% over the same time frame. This slump has been perfectly guided by the 20-day moving average, a trendline the stock hasn’t closed above in more than two months. Also, for technical wonks, the 50-day moving average is crossing below the 200-day moving average, also known as the “death cross.”

This bearish trade is based on the stock’s continued slump even after the good earnings results. With analysts perhaps too optimistic, it’s reasonable to expect some target price reductions, if not some ratings downgrades that could further pressure the share price.

Finally, the 20-day resistance is hard to ignore, which is why we’re playing a call spread with the short call strike sitting just above this trendline. Note that this trade has a smaller return than most because I wanted the short strike to be above the 20-day. Thus, we have a larger cushion of safety and greater probability of profit.

If you agree that the stock will continue its downtrend based on the resistance from its 20-day moving average (blue line), consider the following credit spread trade that relies on DRI staying below $145 (red line) through expiration in 6 weeks:

Buy to Open the DRI 17 Nov 150 call (DRI231117C150)
Sell to Open the DRI 17 Nov 145 call (DRI231117C145) for a credit of $0.85 (selling a vertical)

This credit is $0.02 less than the mid-point price of the spread at Friday’s $136.94 close.  Unless DRI falls sharply at the open on Monday, you should be able to get close to that price.

The commission on this trade should be no more than $1.30 per spread. Each spread would then yield $83.70. This trade reduces your buying power by $500, making your net investment $416.30 per spread ($500 – $83.70). If DRI closes below $145 on Nov. 17, the options will expire worthless and your return on the spread would be 20% ($83.70/$416.30).  

Happy trading,

Jon L

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Option Trade of the Week – Here’s The Beef

March 27, 2023

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Here is your Option Trade of the Week, as included in this past weekend’s Saturday Report for our Terry’s Tips Insider Members. It was another post-earnings play, this time on a restaurant stock. Good luck with the trade!   

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We look forward to having you join us! Now on to the trade …

Here’s The Beef

Darden Restaurants (DRI) – a sit-down restaurant chain conglomerate that includes Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and Capital Grille – reported earnings this week that beat on virtually every measure. Not only did the company top earnings and sales estimates, same-store sales growth also came in above expectations. And DRI upped guidance above the expected range. The company claimed that raising prices less than the rate of inflation drove higher sales.

Analysts cheered the news, though none upgraded the stock. Price target increases were plentiful, pushing the average to $159. But that’s hardly ebullient, as it sits just 4% above Friday’s closing price. That seems reasonable, however, unlike many so-called “growth” stocks.

The stock dropped less than half a percent after the report. Perhaps that’s because it rallied into earnings, a move that broke above a trading range that had contained the shares for much of this year. Despite the range, the stock has been in an overall uptrend since June, rising nearly 40%. The 50-day moving average has guided this rally, although here have been dips below it, the most recent coming earlier this month.

This trade is not necessarily a bet that DRI will continue rising. It’s more a defensive play that the stock will not suffer a serious decline and will remain above the 50-day (blue line) and the bottom of the recent trading range. We’re going a little further out of the money with the short put strike to add a measure of safety. That, of course, means the credit is less. Note that we are going out eight weeks, as DRI does not have weekly options.

If you agree that DRI will continue to trade in a range – or at least not weaken – consider the following trade that relies on the stock staying above $145 (red line) through expiration in 8 weeks:

Buy to Open the DRI 19 May 140 put (DRI230519P140)
Sell to Open the DRI 19 May 145 put (DRI230519P145) for a credit of $1.10 (selling a vertical)

This credit is $0.02 less than the mid-point price of the spread at Friday’s $152.58 close. Unless DRI surges, you should be able to get close to that price.

The commission on this trade should be no more than $1.30 per spread. Each spread would then yield $108.70. This trade reduces your buying power by $500, making your net investment $391.30 per spread ($500 – $108.70). If DRI closes above $145 on May 19, both options will expire worthless and your return on the spread would be 28% ($108.70/$391.30).   

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Any questions?  Email Terry@terrystips.com.

Thank you again for being a part of the Terry’s Tips newsletter.

Happy trading,

Jon L

Making 36%

Making 36% – A Duffer's Guide to Breaking Par in the Market Every Year in Good Years and Bad

This book may not improve your golf game, but it might change your financial situation so that you will have more time for the greens and fairways (and sometimes the woods).

Learn why Dr. Allen believes that the 10K Strategy is less risky than owning stocks or mutual funds, and why it is especially appropriate for your IRA.

Order Now

Success Stories

I have been trading the equity markets with many different strategies for over 40 years. Terry Allen's strategies have been the most consistent money makers for me. I used them during the 2008 melt-down, to earn over 50% annualized return, while all my neighbors were crying about their losses.

~ John Collins