$3.6M opening call buyer in Murphy USA tied to stock 10:20 MUSA $3.6M opening call buyer in Murphy USA tied to stock. Shares of the motor fuel company little changed near $177.26 this morning with a large block crossed on NYSE-Arca where a buyer paid $30 for 1224 Jan 150 calls, opening a new position well above the typical daily option volume and nearly 4x the total call open interest. Earnings Weds PM and today's trade might be a stock-replacement strategy following appreciation of nearly $47 (36%) since July. We talked about a battery charging system for EV maybe being configured for this-- Enphase Energy (ENPH+2%) pushes higher after launching its "smartest microinverter yet," which it says is capable of forming a microgrid during a power outage using only sunlight, providing backup power even without a battery. Conventional microinverters shut off when grid power is interrupted, which has meant homeowners would need to install battery units in the garage or elsewhere to bank power for later use. "Now, with IQ8, homeowners can realize the true promise of solar - to make and use their own power. IQ8 solar microinverters can provide sunlight backup during an outage, even without a battery," says Enphase President and CEO Badri Kothandaraman. This is significant for solar which often does not work in power outages...
Picasso Auction at MGM Casino Brings in More Than $100 M. Against the backdrop of a buzzing Las Vegas, 11 works by Pablo Picasso auctioned by Sotheby’s at the MGM Bellagio resort on Saturday evening brought in a total of $108 million. The works sold in the Nevada city had been on display for nearly two decades, with five of the sale’s lots long showcased at the casino’s restaurant, which is named for the Spanish modernist. The works entered the Bellagio’s collection via the hotel’s previous owner, mega-collector Steve Wynn, who amassed a collection of blue-chip 19th- and 20th-century art housed at the Bellagio’s art gallery. The art and hotel changed hands when the MGM franchise purchased the resort in 2000. The entire grouping was backed by the auction house with a guarantee, with each lot sold by the sale’s end. Three lots—a portrait of Picasso’s early muse Marie-Thérèse Walter, another of a man produced in 1969, and a 1948 still life—came to the sale with irrevocable bids. The 11 works were expected to fetch a low estimate of $100 million. Sotheby’s veteran auctioneer Oliver Barker took to the rostrum on Saturday to lead the sale, which lasted only 45 minutes. Taking place in a Bellagio ballroom converted to the auction house’s redesigned stage, a packed room full of VIP onlookers attended as seated dinner guests. The setting was more intimate and the energy more relaxed than that of a New York marquee sale. For those viewing by livestream it felt like happening upon a private show. Most-expensive Picasso paintings sold at auction The Women of Algiers - $179.4m, 2015 Young Girl with a Flower Basket - $115m, 2018 Nude, Green Leaves and Bust - $106.5m, 2010 Boy with a Pipe - $104m, 2004 Woman Sitting Near a Window (Marie-Therese) - $103.4m, 2021
Wells Fargo says it is adding casino stock Caesars Entertainment(CZR+1.0%)to its Signature Pick list of the firm's best ideas. Wells Fargo thinks CZR offers an attractive risk/reward as it should benefit from the ongoing recovery on the Las Vegas Strip (40% to 50% of EBITDAR) and is seen having all the pieces in place to become a leading USSB/iGaming operator. It is also noted that CZR is in the early stages of a multi-year deleveraging cycle. CZR enters the Wells Fargo Signature Picks portfolio with a weighting of 1.5%. Caesars Entertainment(NASDAQ:CZR) is due to report earnings on November 2.
MGM getting diversity Stoney! Saturday's sale was part of a bid by casino and hotel group MGM Resorts (MGM.N) to further diversify its vast collection to include more art from women, people of color and emerging nations as well as from LGBTQ artists and artists with disabilities. American museums and art galleries have been working to broaden their collections in the wake of the widespread cultural reckoning in 2020 over racism at all levels of U.S. society.
--> Last year, eBay closed its books with $3.8 billion in cash and now it has $17.2 Billion. --> Now, since eBay requires just $492 million a year in capital expenditures in order to run its operations and fund its growth, that means that the $17.2 billion in cash can fund 35 years of capital expenditures, so we have an insanely undervalued stock because maybe the best thing the company can do with that money is buy back its stock. --> We expect the $17B in cash to be used to buy back shares of the company. With a market cap of only $48B, the share price could rise significantly. I really hope people don't overthink EBAY on Wed and try and lump them into failing internet stks like PINS and SNAP... Van are you holding thru earnings?
It's not in the IRA, but it is in our G4G portfolio. Might have to pull it out. Ebay needs a facelift.