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Options traders are flooding into the Magic Kingdom after a bullish call from Morgan Stanley forecasting blockbuster profits from upcoming streaming service Disney+.
The note predicts that Disney‘s over-the-top service will boast 130 million or so subscribers by 2024. That would represent prolific year-over-year growth for a streaming platform chasing the current leader, Netflix, which clocks in at about 150 million subscribers now.
“Call volume went berserk today,” CNBC “Options Action ” trader Dan Nathan said Thursday on “Fast Money. “
“It was five times average daily volume and five times that of puts on a day that the stock is breaking back out towards those prior highs. The next real big event for Disney is going to be their earnings, coming in the first week of August. The options market is implying about a 9% move in either direction. “
The money flowing into Disney options is largely betting on the bullish side of the coin flip on Disney earnings.
Interestingly enough though, Thursday’s most active trade wasn’t a big-time bet on a move to the upside later this summer.
Rather, the June 140-strike calls, which traded for just $1.43 and expire next Friday, saw the most traffic. Disney actually closed Thursday’s session at $141.74, or above the breakeven price for that trade.
“A lot of those look bought to open,” said Nathan, “So what are they trying to do here? They’re playing this momentum here, playing for a breakout. We’re seeing some stocks break out, and when they do, they’re doing so on pretty good volume, here.”
