Thursday, August 20, 2026

Covered Call Position Established in T-Mobile US, Inc.

This morning a short-term Covered Call position was established in T-Mobile US, Inc. (ticker symbol TMUS) using my Dividend Capture Strategy (see description of Dividend Capture Strategy here).  My buy/write limit order was executed when 100 shares were purchased at $180.86 and 1 September 4th, 2026 weekly Call option was sold at $7.80 per share at the $175.00 strike price.  The time value (aka extrinsic value) profit potential in the Call option was $1.94 per share [$7.80 Call option premium - ($180.86 stock price - $175.00 strike price)] when this transaction executed.  There is also an upcoming ex-dividend of $1.02 per share this next Friday (August 28th, 2026).  Two potential return-on-investment results for this position are detailed below and include the possibility of early exercise since the ex-dividend is prior to the September 4th, 2026 options expiration date.  When this position was established, the probability that the Call will be in-the-money on the options expiration date was 70.1%.  Important to the Covered Calls Advisor, T-Mobile's next quarterly earnings report on October 22nd is after the September 4th options expiration date. 

Analysts' average target price for T-Mobile is currently $242.11 which is +33.9% above today's stock purchase price.  Fundamentally speaking, T-Mobile is rated by LSEG Stocks Plus Report (on a scale of 1 to 10) with an Average Score of 9 and an Optimized Score of 9.  T-Mobile also currently meets all criteria in my Shareholder Yield stock screener:


As detailed below, two potential return-on-investment results are: 

  •  +1.1% absolute return (equivalent to +57.8% annualized return-on-investment for the next 7 days) if the stock is assigned early (on the last business day prior to the August 28th, 2026 ex-dividend date); OR 
  • +1.7% absolute return (equivalent to +41.6% annualized return-on-investment over the next 15 days) if T-Mobile's stock is assigned on the September 4th options expiration date.

T-Mobile US, Inc. (TMUS) -- New Covered Call Position
The buy/write transaction was:
8/20/2026 Bought 100 T-Mobile shares @ $180.86.
8/20/2026 Sold 1 T-Mobile 9/4/2026 $175.00 Call option @ $7.80 per share. The Implied Volatility of the Call option was 32.5 when this transaction was executed.  I prefer to establish Covered Call positions when a stock price is temporarily declining and the short-term Relative Strength [RSI(2)] is in oversold territory (i.e. below 30) -- both of these conditions were met when establishing this T-Mobile position, and when this occurs the Implied Volatility is temporarily increasing so that the potential annualized return-on-investment is also increasing. 😄
8/28/2026 Upcoming quarterly ex-dividend of $1.02 per share.

Two possible overall performance results (including commissions) for this Covered Call position are as follows:
T-Mobile Covered Call Cost Basis: $17,306.67
= ($180.86 - $7.80) * 100 shares + $.67 commission

Net Profit Components:
(a) Options Income: +$780.00
= ($7.80 * 100 shares)
(b) Dividend Income (If option exercised early on August 27th, 2026, the business day prior to the August 28th ex-div date): +$0.00; or
(b) Dividend Income (If T-Mobile stock assigned at the September 4th, 2026 options expiration): +$102.00
= ($1.02 dividend per share x 100 shares)
(c) Capital Appreciation (If T-Mobile Call option assigned early on August 28th): -$586.00
+($175.00 strike price - $180.86 stock purchase price) * 100 shares; or
(c) Capital Appreciation (If shares assigned at $175.00 strike price on the 9/4/2026 options expiration date): -$586.00
+($175.00 - $180.86) * 100 shares

1. Total Net Profit [If option exercised on Aug. 27th (business day prior to the Aug. 28th ex-dividend date)]: +$194.00
= (+$780.00 option income + $0.00 dividend income - $586.00 capital appreciation); or
2. Total Net Profit (If T-Mobile shares assigned at $175.00 strike price at the September 4th, 2026 options expiration date): +$296.00
= (+$785.00 option income + $102.00 dividend income - $586.00 capital appreciation)

1. Absolute Return (If option exercised early): +1.1%
= +$194.00/$17,306.67
Annualized Return-on-Investment (If option exercised early): +58.4%
= (+$194.00/$17,306.67) * (365/7 days); or
2. Absolute Return (If T-Mobile shares assigned at the $175.00 strike price at the Sept. 4th, 2026 options expiration date): +1.7%
= +$296.00/$17,306.67
Annualized Return-on-Investment (If T-Mobile shares assigned at the $175.00 at the Sept. 4th, 2026 options expiration date): +41.6%
= (+$296.00/$17,306.67) x (365/15 days)

These attractive return-on-investment results will be achieved as long as the stock is above the $175.00 strike price at assignment.  If the stock declines below the strike price, the breakeven price of $172.04 ($180.86 - $7.80 - $1.02) provides 4.9% downside protection below today's stock purchase price.

At least eight of the nine metrics used in the Covered Calls Advisor's Dividend Capture Strategy spreadsheet must be 'YES' prior to establishing a position.  As shown below with this T-Mobile US, Inc. position, eight of the nine criteria are met.


Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Established Covered Calls Position in SK hynix Inc. ADR

A short-term Covered Calls position of 9 days duration was established this morning in SK hynix Inc. ADR (ticker SKHY).  My buy/write net debit limit order at $145.50 was executed and the time value was $4.50 per share [$12.47 Call options premium - ($157.97 stock purchase price - $150.00 strike price)].  An in-the-money strike price was established with the probability that SK hynix's stock will close in-the-money (i.e. above the $150.00 strike price) on the 8/28/2026 options expiration date was 63.8% when this transaction was executed.  

As detailed below, a potential return-on-investment result if SK hynix Inc. ADR's share price is in-the-money (i.e. above the $150.00 strike price) and therefore assigned on its August 28th, 2026 options expiration date is +3.1% absolute return-on-investment (equivalent to +125.2% annualized return-on-investment for the next 9 days).

SK hynix Inc. ADR (SKHY) -- New Covered Calls Position
The buy/write net limit order transaction was as follows:
8/19/2026 Bought 200 SK hynix Inc. shares at $157.97.
8/19/2026 Sold 2 SK hynix 8/28/2026 $150.00 Call options @ $12.47 per share.  The Implied Volatility of these Calls was 79.3 when this position was established, which is well above (as preferred) the current value of the S&P 500 Volatility Index (i.e. VIX) which was 15.3.

A possible overall performance result (including commissions) for this SK hynix Covered Calls position is as follows:
Covered Calls Net Investment: $29,101.34
= ($157.97 - $12.47) * 200 shares + $1.34 commission

Net Profit:
(a) Options Income: +$2,492.66
= ($12.47 * 200 shares) - $1.34 commission
(b) Dividend Income: +$0.00
(c) Capital Appreciation (If 200 SK hynix shares assigned (i.e. above the $150.00 strike price) on the 8/28/2026 options expiration date): -$1,594.00
+($150.00 strike price - $157.97 stock purchase price) * 200 shares

Total Net Profit Potential (If 200 SK hynix Worldwide Corp. shares assigned at the $150.00 strike price on the 8/28/2026 options expiration date): +$898.66
= (+$2,492.66 options income + $0.00 dividend income - $1,594.00 capital appreciation)

Potential Absolute Return-on-Investment (If 200 SK hynix shares assigned (i.e. sold) at the $150.00 strike price on the 8/28/2026 options expiration date): +3.1%
= (+$898.66/$29,101.34)
Potential Annualized Return-on-Investment (If 200 SK hynix shares assigned at the $150.00 strike price on the 8/28/2026 options expiration date): +125.2%
= (+$898.66/$29,101.34) * (365/9 days)

Saturday, August 15, 2026

August 14th, 2026 Options Expiration Results

The Covered Calls Advisor Portfolio had two Covered Call positions with August 14th, 2026 options expirations and both positions (D.R. Horton Inc. and NVIDIA Corporation) closed with their stock prices in-the-money.  So, their Calls expired with no remaining time value and the Covered Calls were closed out by the stocks being sold at their respective strike prices on their August 14th options expiration date. The return-on-investment details for each position is as follows:

1. D.R. Horton Inc. (DHI) -- +1.6% absolute return-on-investment (equivalent to +39.4% annualized return-on-investment) for the 15 days of this investment.  This D.R. Horton Covered Call position had a $140.00 strike price and it closed at $148.81 yesterday.  The original blog post showing the details of this position is here

2. Nvidia Corporation (NVDA-- +3.7% absolute return-on-investment (equivalent to +83.3% annualized return-on-investment) for the 16 days of this investment.  This NVIDIA Covered Call position had a $190.00 strike price and it closed at $225.16 yesterday.  The original blog post showing the details of this position is here.

I look forward to receiving your emails with your questions/comments at the email address shown below on any topics related to the Covered Calls investing strategy. 

Jeff Partlow
The Covered Calls Advisor
partlow@cox.net

Thursday, August 13, 2026

Early Assignment of Covered Call Position in Expand Energy Corporation

I was notified by Schwab early this morning that the one Expand Energy Corporation August 21st, 2026 Call option was exercised yesterday on the day prior to today's $.575 ex-dividend date.  The Expand Energy stock price increased from $91.26 when this position was established to $96.28 at yesterday's market close, the original $1.40 time value in the Call option when the position was established had declined on yesterday's market close to $0.62.  So, with 9 days remaining until the August 21st options expiration date, the owner of this Call exercised their option to buy the 100 EXE shares at the $90.00 strike price in order to receive today's $.575 per share ex-dividend. 

I was surprised that the owner of this Call option exercised their right in this instance since they decided to immediately forego the remaining $.62 time value profit potential (which I am pleased to have received as an immediate profit addition to my return-on-investment result for this position). I am also pleased with the +72.1% annualized-return-on-investment (aroi) result achieved today by early assignment since it exceeds the maximum +50.8% aroi that might have been achieved if this position instead remained in-the-money and would therefore be assigned on its August 21st, 2026 options expiration date.   

The post when this Expand Energy Covered Call position was originally established is shown here.

As detailed below, the return-on-investment result for this Expand Energy Covered Call position was +1.6% absolute return in 8 days (equivalent to a +72.1% annualized return-on-investment).


Expand Energy Corporation (EXE) -- Covered Call Position Closed by Early Assignment
The Buy/Write transaction was as follows:
8/5/2026 Bought 100 shares of Expand Energy Corp. stock @ $91.26 per share.  
8/5/2026 Sold 1 Expand Energy August 21st, 2026 $90.00 Call option @ $2.66 per share.  The Implied Volatility of the Call option was 26.6 which, as preferred, is well above the current 15.5 of VIX.
8/13/2026 One Expand Energy Call was exercised on the day prior to its August 13th, 2026 ex-dividend date, so the Call option expired and the 100 Expand Energy shares were sold at the $90.00 strike price, which closed out this Covered Call position.

The overall performance results (including commissions) are as follows:
Covered Call Position Net Investment: $8,860.67
= ($91.26 - $2.66) * 100 shares + $.67 commission

Net Profit Components:
(a) Option Income: +$266.00
= ($2.66 * 100 shares)
(b) Dividend Income (EXE Call option exercised early on Aug. 12th, the last business day prior to the August 13th ex-div date): +$0.00
(c) Capital Appreciation: -$126.00
+($90.00 strike price - $91.26 stock price) * 100 shares

Total Net Profit: +$140.00
= (+$266.00 option income +$0.00 dividend income -$126.00 capital appreciation)

Absolute Return-on-Investment: +1.6%
= +$140.00/$8,860.67
Annualized Return-on-Investment: +72.1%
= (+$140.00/$8,860.67) * (365/8 days)