Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Continuation of Covered Calls Positions in iShares China Large-Cap ETF

Today the Covered Calls position in iShares China Large-Cap ETF (ticker FXI) was continued by selling 10 Call options to rollout to the December 1st, 2023 options expiration date.  The transactions-to-date for this position as well as potential return-on-investment results if the position is assigned on its December 1st, 2023 options expiration date is detailed below.

iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI) -- Continuation of Covered Calls Position
The original Buy/Write transaction was as follows:
9/1/2023 Bought 1,000 shares of iShares China Large-Cap ETF @ $27.99 per share.  
9/1/2023 Sold 10 FXI Sept. 15th, 2023 $28.00 Call options @ $.63 per share.
9/15/2023 Ten FXI Call options closed out-of-the-money, so these options expired and 1,000 shares remain in the Covered Calls Advisor Portfolio.
9/22/2023 Continued this iShares China Large-Cap ETF Covered Calls position by selling 10 FXI October 13th, 2023 Call options at the $27.50 strike price for $.60 per share.  The iShares China Large-Cap ETF share price was $27.21 when these Calls were sold and their Implied Volatility was 27.7.
10/13/2023 Ten FXI Call options closed out-of-the-money, so these options expired and 1,000 shares remain in the Covered Calls Advisor Portfolio.
10/16/2023 Continued this iShares China Large-Cap ETF Covered Calls position by selling 10 FXI November 3rd, 2023 Call options at the $27.00 strike price for $.49 per share.  The iShares China Large-Cap ETF share price was $26.49 when these Calls were sold and their Implied Volatility was 29.4.
11/3/2023 Ten FXI Call options closed out-of-the-money, so these options expired and 1,000 shares remain in the Covered Calls Advisor Portfolio.
11/14/2023 Continued this iShares China Large-Cap ETF Covered Calls position by selling 10 FXI December 1st, 2023 Call options at the $27.00 strike price for $.35 per share.  The iShares China Large-Cap ETF share price was $26.30 when these Calls were sold and their Implied Volatility was 27.2 and the Delta was 34.1.

A possible overall performance result (including commissions) for this iShares China Large-Cap ETF Covered Calls position if assigned on the 12/1/2023 options expiration date is as follows:
FXI Covered Calls Net Investment: $27,366.70
= ($27.99 - $.63) * 1,000 shares + $6.70 commission

Net Profit:
(a) Options Income: +$2,043.20
= ($.63 + $.60 + $.49 + $.35) * 1,000 shares - $26.80 commissions
(b) Dividend Income: +$0.00
(c) Capital Appreciation (If 1,000 iShares China Large-Cap ETF shares assigned at the $27.00 strike price at the 12/1/2023 expiration): -$990.00
+($27.00 - $27.99) * 1,000 shares

Total Net Profit Potential (If 1,000 iShares China Large-Cap ETF shares assigned at the $27.00 strike price at the options expiration date): +$1,053.20
= (+$2,043.20 options income +$0.00 dividend income -$990.00 capital appreciation)

Potential Absolute Return-on-Investment: +3.8%
= +$1,053.20/$27,366.70
Potential Annualized Return-on-Investment: +15.4%
= (+$1,053.20/$27,366.70) * (365/91 days)

Early Assignment of Covered Calls Position in Exxon Mobil Corporation

Early this morning I was notified by my broker's email that the two Exxon Mobil Corporation (ticker XOM) November 24th, 2023 $101.00 Call options were exercised yesterday.  Exxon Mobil stock has increased from its purchase price of $102.97 last Wednesday when this Covered Calls position was established to $104.84 at the market close yesterday.  The original $.82 time value in the Calls when the position was established had declined on yesterday's market close to $0.01, so I was not surprised that the owner of these Exxon Calls exercised their option to buy the 200 shares at the $101.00 strike price in order to receive today's $.95 per share ex-dividend.  I am pleased for this early assignment despite losing the opportunity to capture the $.95 ex-dividend since the +49.4% annualized-return-on-investment (aroi) achieved by early assignment is greater than the +40.2% aroi that would instead have been achieved if this position was instead assigned on its November 24th options expiration date.   

The post when this Exxon Mobil Covered Calls position was originally established is here.  As detailed below, the return-on-investment result for this Exxon Mobil Covered Calls position was +0.8% absolute return in 6 days (equivalent to a +49.4% annualized return-on-investment).  


Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) -- Covered Calls Position Closed by Early Assignment
The simultaneous buy/write transaction was:
11/8/2023 Bought 200 Exxon Mobil shares @ $102.97
11/8/2023 Sold 2 Exxon Mobil November 24th, 2023 $101.00 Call options @ $2.79 per share
11/14/2023 Exxon Mobil Call options owner exercised their two Call options, so the Covered Calls position was closed out early. The two XOM Call options expired worthless and the 200 Exxon shares were sold at the $101.00 strike price.

The overall performance results (including commissions) for this Exxon Mobil Covered Calls position are as follows:
Covered Calls Net Investment: $20,037.34
= ($102.97 - $2.79) * 200 shares + $1.34 commission

Net Profit:
(a) Options Income: +$556.66
= ($2.79 * 200 shares) - $1.34 commission
(b) Dividend Income (Call options exercised early on Monday, Nov. 13th, the last business day prior to the November 14th ex-div date): +$0.00
(c) Capital Appreciation (Exxon Mobil's stock assigned early): -$394.00
+($101.00 -$102.97) * 200 shares

Total Net Profit (XOM Call options exercised early): +$162.66
= (+$556.66 options income +$0.00 dividend income -$394.00 capital appreciation)

Absolute Return-on-Investment: +0.8%
= +$162.66/$20,037.34
Annualized Return-on-Investment: +49.4%
= (+$162.66/$20,037.34) * (365/6 days)

Saturday, November 11, 2023

November 10th, 2023 Options Expiration Results

The Covered Calls Advisor Portfolio had one Covered Calls position in Morgan Stanley at the November 10th, 2023 options expiration date and at the $70.00 strike price.  The position closed in-the-money yesterday at $75.08 per share, so the Call options expired and the 300 Morgan Stanley shares were sold at their $70.00 strike price with the following results:

Morgan Stanley (MS) -- +2.3% absolute return (equivalent to +40.2% annualized return-on-investment) for the 21 days of this Covered Calls investment.  The original blog post details when this position was established is here

I welcome your questions or feedback at the email address below on any topics related to the Covered Calls investing strategy.  

Best Wishes,

Jeff Partlow
The Covered Calls Advisor
partlow@cox.net

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Established Covered Calls in The Hershey Company

This afternoon, my Covered Calls buy/write net debit limit order in The Hershey Company (ticker HSY) for the November 24th, 2023 expiration and at the $182.50 strike price and at a net debit limit price of $181.70 per share was executed immediately after my order was placed.  Two hundred shares were purchased at $188.39 and two 11/24/2023 Call options were sold at the $182.50 strike price for $6.69 per share.  So, the potential time value profit from the Call options is $.80 per share [$182.50 strike price - ($188.39 stock purchase price - $6.69 Call options price)]. 

In addition to the potential time value profit of $.80 per share, there is an upcoming quarterly ex-dividend of $1.192 per share (2.5% annual dividend yield) on November 16th which is included in the potential return-on-investment calculations detailed below.  When this in-the-money Covered Calls position was transacted this afternoon it had a probability of assignment on the options expiration date of 77.6%. 

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

  •  +0.4% absolute return-on-investment (equivalent to +23.3% annualized roi for the next 7 days) if the stock is assigned early (the last business day prior to the November 16th, 2023 ex-dividend date); OR 
  • +1.2% absolute return-on-investment (equivalent to +28.6% annualized roi over the next 15 days) if the stock is assigned on the November 24th, 2023 options expiration date.
These returns will be achieved as long as Hershey's stock price is above the $182.50 strike price when assigned.  If the stock declines below the strike price, the breakeven price of $180.508 per share ($188.39 stock purchase price - $6.69 Call options selling price - $1.192 ex-dividend amount) provides a 4.2% downside breakeven protection if assigned on the options expiration date.

Hershey appeared today in one of my favorite stock screeners (Large Cap Value +Profitability +Growth).  As shown below, it met all 18 factors in this screener and Wall Street analysts that follow Hershey have a current target price of $227.39 (+20.7% above today's purchase price).
   




Also, Hershey made a new product announcement today that is warmly welcomed (at least by me):
The "Reese's Caramel Big Cup", which will be available beginning on November 17th:


The Hershey Company (HSY) -- New Covered Calls Position
If the stock price increases to the point where the current time value (i.e. extrinsic value) of $.80 remaining in the short Call options decays substantially (down to approximately $.15 or less) before market close on November 15th, 2023 (the last business day prior to the 11/16/2023 ex-dividend date), there is a possibility that the Call options owner would exercise early and therefore call the 200 Hershey Company shares away to capture the dividend payment.  The transaction as well as potential return-on-investment results are detailed as follows:

The simultaneous buy/write transaction was:
11/9/2023 Bought 200 The Hershey Company shares @ $188.39
11/9/2023 Sold 2 HSY November 24th, 2023 $182.50 Call options @ $6.69 per share
11/16/2023 Upcoming quarterly ex-dividend at $1.192 per share.

Two possible overall performance results (including commissions) for this Hershey Company Covered Calls position are as follows:
Covered Calls Net Investment: $36,341.34
= ($188.39 - $6.69) * 200 shares + $1.34 commission

Net Profit:
(a) Options Income: +$1,366.66
= ($6.69 * 200 shares) - $1.34 commission
(b) Dividend Income (If option exercised early on Nov. 15th, the last business day prior to the November 16th ex-div date): +$0.00; or
(b) Dividend Income (If Hershey's shares assigned at the Nov. 24th, 2023 options expiration date): +$238.40
= ($1.192 dividend per share x 200 shares)
(c) Capital Appreciation (If Hershey's stock is assigned early): -$1,178.00
+($182.50 -$188.39) * 200 shares; or
(c) Capital Appreciation (If Hershey's shares assigned at $182.50 strike price at options expiration): -$1,178.00
+($182.50 -$188.39) * 200 shares

1. Total Net Profit (If option exercised early): +$188.66
= (+$1,366.66 options income +$0.00 dividend income -$1,178.00 capital appreciation); or
2. Total Net Profit (If Hershey stock assigned at $182.50 at the 11/24/2023 expiration): +$427.06
= (+$1,366.66 options income +$238.40 dividend income -$1,178.00 capital appreciation)

1. Absolute Return-on-Investment (If option exercised on the last business day prior to the 11/14/2023 ex-dividend date): +0.4%
= +$162.66/$36,341.34
Annualized Return-on-Investment (If option exercised early): +23.3%
= (+$162.66/$36,341.34) * (365/7 days); or
2. Absolute Return-on-Investment (If Hershey's stock assigned at $182.50 at the Nov. 24th options expiration date): +1.2%
= +$427.06/$36,341.34
Annualized Return-on-Investment (If Hershey's shares assigned at $182.50 at the 11/24/2023 options expiration date): +28.6%
= (+$427.06/$36,341.34) * (365/15 days)

At least eight of the nine metrics used in the Covered Calls Advisor's Dividend Capture Strategy spreadsheet (see below) must be 'YES' prior to establishing a new Covered Calls position using the Covered Calls Advisor's Dividend Capture strategy.  As shown below, eight of the nine criteria are achieved for this Hershey Company position.