MFA Option Activity

clipped from seekingalpha.com MFA Financial Inc. (MFA) – Self-advised REIT business, MFA Inc. attracted a sizeable option trade during this morning. The share price of this company, which dabbles in hybrid and adjustable rate mortgages, is lower by 1.1% at $7.96 today. One investor made a 20,000 lot option play using in-the-money call options set to expire in 12 days time. We can see a large chunk of stock trading at the same time, but can’t tell what this investor’s motivation is. The calls changed hands at 45 cents and represent three-times the current open interest in all options on this company’s shares, just to give you a sense of the magnitude of today’s activity. We are left guessing that the investor behind today’s trade is a bull and looking to lock in to buying rights on this company in the expectation they will remain in-the-money when it comes to expiration.

Retail Ahead

clipped from finance.yahoo.com Will U.S. Consumers Bite This Holiday Shopping Season? Technology. Gadgets and technology have emerged as the new fashion accessory, whether it's the latest mobile phone, music device or laptop. "I think you'll see new accessories to that one game you got last year," she says.  The trend should continue to benefit Apple, Bentz believes. Discounters still rule. Expect this trend to continue this holiday season, with heavyweights such as Wal-Mart and Target dominating in the discount space. The focus now shifts to the all-important holiday shopping season. "A lot of spare and thoughtful shopping will be back," warns Bentz, a former retail and consumer analyst for Lehman Brothers.

Insider Stampede

Coupled with rising gold price what does this say for equities a year out.

clipped from money.cnn.com Insiders sell like there's no tomorrow Insiders sell l Corporate officers and directors were buying stock when the market hit bottom. What does it say that they're selling now? nsiders be wrong? NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Can hundreds of stock-selling insiders be wrong? The stock market has mounted an historic rally since it hit a low in March. The S&P 500 is up 55%, as U.S. job losses have slowed and credit markets have stabilized. But against that improving backdrop, one indicator has turned distinctly bearish: Corporate officers and directors have been selling shares at a pace last seen just before the onset of the subprime malaise two years ago.

Retooling the Resume, For-Profit Education

Despite concerns about increasing student default rates and poor student placement, we feel the for-profit education stocks are appealing at current values. The countercyclical nature these stocks, people going back to school during a recession to improve their resumes, has resulted in record enrollments. Consumers Digest reports it as a 6.2 billion dollar industry, and many companies in this industry are producing above average revenue growth. Once called distance learning, online classrooms proliferate even at academically superior not for profit schools.

APOL, LINC, and CPLA

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MED NYSE 10.60

When using a basket approach to the market occasionally our screens and the following buys will yield some bad fruit. It is especially sweet if we get out of bad fruit with a profit. I bought Medifast (MED NYSE 10.60) on 6/25/09 at 8.84 as part of a basket strategy. The Company was one of our daily picks. The stock hasn't looked back, trading 6 times its normal volume on Friday enticing me to look a little closer. That look revealed some players who have actively run short campaigns against companies they portray to be multilevel marketing schemes.

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Tensions Build

clipped from www.foxnews.com "Permission has not been requested. Nor is it clear it will be," a military source told FOX News. "This is a very delicate situation and no one is interested in precipitating a confrontation."

Solar Stocks Heat Up $TSL (22)

As we slog through this recovery, which will knock the hell out of historical domestic growth rates, investors are looking globally for higher returns. Some investment managers advise that as much as 50 percent of investor’s portfolio should be outside the United States. As sentiment improves and the risk appetite of baby boomers looking to repair their retirement portfolios increases, global growth stocks should benefit

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Questionable Aquistion or Marketing Genius? UNTD (6.86)

UNTD (6.86) provides consumer Internet subscription services through a number of brands, including NetZero, Juno, Classmates and MyPoints. The company offers marketing solutions across their various properties. In a move that has raised eyebrows last year the company acquired FTD, the nearly 100 year-old brand. More

To Late for a Dose of Eli Lilly (LLY 35.95)?

We don’t think so. The stock is breaking out of a base on good volume after a positive earnings report. In the face of the threat of sweeping reform in healthcare LLY has displayed pricing power, raising prices on many of their drugs. Link to entire post

On 3/23 we said the fear surrounding Medicare reimbursements was overdone and thought LHCG (28.54) then priced at 19.47 would benefit. Though we would not short it at current levels, profit taking is in order.

Today's Picks

Caution out there today. We like the following stocks but don't mortgage the house on them (never a good strategy).

EXM 8.90 stop 8.19 bulk shipping is getting hot
DENN 3.01 stop 2.69 gave it to you on 4/29 at 2.73, volume is getting stronger we like it above 3
MAR 24.31 stop 21.89 real estate play should be bought on dips
SUTR 3.53 stop 2.99 volume pick up should be bought on dips
JBLU 6.05 stop 5.79 generally we do not like airlines so we are using a tight stop on this one.

$PNRA

We haven't done the analysis of the earnings but Panera is down before the open. Last year we wrote. The stock closed at a year low of 42.33 on March 3rd. On April first we added it to our model portfolio at 55.72

Bet on Vegas?

The market worked its way higher again, for the sixth week in a row. We begin the week with the futures looking lower. We advise caution. Despite this we like GCA, VLTR, and DGIT if they trade above their opens by 10:10 AM.
GCA (5.23) Both gaming and electronic cash processors are sharply off their bottoms. To us GCA represents a solid performer in both areas with a PEG ratio less than 1 and trading less than 10 times earnings.

Smartcrest Equities

GCA and VLTR seem to have rounded bottom formations.