Bulls Hunt for Dollar Tree Bargains

By David Russell, reporter at OptionMonster

NEW YORK -- Forget about the woodshed. Dollar Tree (DLTR) has been getting chain-sawed.

The discount retailer had been a steady performer since early 2008, rallying more than 500% as cash-strapped consumers looked for lower prices. But it's been falling since June, and is down around $39 from the all-time highs over $56.

On Friday, however, the bulls started looking for a rebound. OptionMonster's tracking programs showed the purchase of about 5,000 November 42.50 calls for 53 cents and the sale of an equal number of November 43.75 calls for 28 cents.

Owning calls locks in where investors can buy shares, while selling calls obligates them to sell if the strike price is reached. In the case of Friday's strategy, known as a bullish call spread, the trader would buy stock for $42.50 and sell it for $43.75 -- a spread of $1.25. It only cost 25 cents to open the position, so the trader would be looking at a profit of 400% if the shares close at or above $43.75 on expiration.

Dollar Tree fell 0.51% to end the session at $39.15. Total option volume in the name was quadruple its daily average, with calls outnumbering puts by more than seven to one.

Russell has no positions in DLTR.

This commentary comes from an independent investor or market observer as part of TheStreet guest contributor program. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of TheStreet or its management.