The Real Deal With Covered Calls...

I have many friends who ask me questions about options trading.

Often, I answer with my own question: “Are you selling covered calls against long shares you own?”

Most of them say no. Others say they really don’t understand that strategy at all.

So, today I want to lay out all the details, with actual numbers, to help those who may be confused about this incredibly powerful strategy.

In case you didn't know, for every 100 shares of a stock you own, you can sell one call option contract against those shares.

This accomplishes three things:

1. It creates instant cash flow, as you receive the upfront premium payment from the option buyer.

2. It helps create a downside buffer against temporary dips in the stock.

3. It helps set an automatic upside profit target. If the stock rallies above a certain level, you can sell your shares and lock in a pre-determined profit.

How Does It Work?

Let’s say you currently hold 1,000 shares of Walmart (NYSE: WMT) that have been sitting in your account for several years.

Your buy-in price was $60 in 2012.

WMT stock now sits at $108.52 per share (as of 8/8/19).

Here’s a current chart:

That means you’re sitting on a gain of $48.52 per share ($48,520 profit) and a return-on-investment (ROI) of 81%.

Well done!

Now Let’s Juice Those Returns

If you’ve been reading my blog posts, you know I’m a big fan of selling options contracts and collecting the upfront income.

One of the best ways to do this is to sell covered calls against shares of stock you already own. No sense in leaving money on the table, right?

While your goal is to hang onto the shares as long as possible to gain more capital appreciation, it never hurts to bring in a little extra cash. But, how much cash?

Well, let’s look at the current option chain below:

I’ve circled the March 2020 $125 call options (hypothetical play!).

This is an out-of-the-money (OTM) option, meaning its strike price is set higher than the current stock price. At the moment, the $125 strike is roughly $16.50 above WMT’s current stock price of $108.52

Since you own 1,000 shares, you could sell 10 of the March 2020 $125 call options for $1.63 per contract (splitting the bid and ask) and immediately receive $1,630 from the sale ($100 option multiplier x $1.63 x 10 contracts).

Yes, you will instantly collect $1,630 and see your account value go up.

If WMT moves above $125 by March, you will relinquish your shares and book a very nice gain on your long-term hold.

If WMT remains below $125 by March, you retain your shares AND the option premium, and can sell another 10 contracts to produce even more current income.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

In the case of a blip lower in the stock price, the sale of the call option can act as a buffer against a small move, specifically, $1.63 per share lower.

Let’s Add Up the Numbers

Suppose WMT finishes above $125 by March. What happens?

Your shares will be called away by the option buyer and you’ll record the sale at $125.

You’ll net a final $65 per share capital gain ($65,000) and a ROI of 108%.

In addition to that large capital gain, don’t forget about the $1,630 of upfront option premium you collected, and the two dividend payments you’re entitled to between now and March 2020.

With WMT paying out $0.53 per share in dividends, you’ll collect another $1,060 by expiration.

All told, that’s a nice payday!

But what if you’re concerned about missing out on even more upside gains? What if WMT shoots to $130?

Well, you're still obligated to sell the shares at $125, as that’s probably the only “drawback” to the strategy, but there are things you can do to minimize that.

For one, you can use a higher strike price, like the $130 or $135 strikes. By doing so, you lessen the chance of having to relinquish the shares, but you will also receive less upfront income. That’s the trade-off.

Or, you can choose a longer expiration date. The more time until expiration, the higher the option payouts. This means you get more money when selling the calls. It also means you can even pick the $140 or $150 strikes and still collect decent money.

And speaking of chances, you can always consult a probability calculator to give you an idea of how likely it is that WMT will hit $125 by March.

Looking at the results, we see that WMT has roughly an 18.4% chance of finishing above $125 by March. Or said another way, it has an 81.6% chance of finishing below $125 by March.

What if it doesn’t finish above $125?

Well, as I said earlier, the option will expire and you’ll keep your shares. This will allow you to sell another 10 option contracts and potentially collect another $1,630.

You could conceivably continue this process over and over and collect upfront cash for years on end. As long as WMT doesn’t close above the strike price, you’re good to go.

Selling covered calls is a viable way to pad your trading account. Don’t let that cash slip away!

Although our Smart Option Seller newsletter focuses on selling put options, it also takes advantage of the principle of collecting upfront cash, while still producing high probability wins.

Come join us!

Until next time…

- Lee