🎈📢An option opportunity with a 99% success rate!

On the same day that the Microsoft and Blizzard merger was approved by the US court, the acquisition of $Broadcom(AVGO)$ and $VMware(VMW)$ obtained approval from the European Union. When the news came out, VMW's stock price jumped more than 5% to over $156.

The certainty of Broadcom's acquisition of VMW has always been higher, because VMW's major shareholder is Dell, which has sought to sell its best asset - VMW in several times to mitigate the losses in its core business.

Furthermore, there have been management and board member adjustments at VMW since last winter, which means that although the acquisition has not been officially finalized, Broadcom's integration has already begun.

Therefore, the acquisition arbitrage of VMW is highly certain. However, it should be noted that Broadcom's acquisition price for VMW is $61 billion, while the current market value of VMW corresponds to $67.2 billion. Why is that? Does Broadcom want to increase the acquisition price?

No, in the terms of this acquisition, in addition to acquiring VMW for $61 billion in cash and stock, Broadcom also assumed a net debt of $8 billion, making the total amount $69 billion. This corresponds to a VMW stock price of around $162.5, and the current price is approximately 96% of that.

In addition, Broadcom once provided an expected completion date of July 31. Due to regulatory issues, both companies extended the transaction deadline to August 26 in May. With only one month remaining, both sides undoubtedly hope to finalize the deal as soon as possible, so increasing the price is not possible.

Looking at VMW's options chain, selling calls above $162.5 is lovely trades. VMW's options are not very active, with only monthly options available. I currently hold sell calls with exercise prices of $165 due to July and August. As seen from below, the premium for August is as high as $2.3, which is quite attractive.

As for selling puts, it is also good, but the profits are not as good as selling calls. Since the stock price is already very close to the acquisition price, puts with a low strike price have no trading volume.

If you want to sell puts, it's best to choose exercise prices below $140, because the cash acquisition value is $61 billion corresponding to a price of $142.5. VMW employees are exchanging their shares for Broadcom stock at this price, so it is a safe line. Therefore, looking at the monthly options for August, exercise prices of 130 and 135 are the best choices for selling puts.

There's another thinking. As mentioned, the transaction deadline has been extended to August 26, and both parties are accelerating to complete the deal. If everything goes smoothly, it means that options expiring in October will be accelerated to exercise in September.

Therefore, both selling puts and selling calls for October expiration are attractive. Due to the thin trading volume and large bid-ask spreads, I have sell puts with an exercise price of 135 and sell calls with an exercise price of 165, but they have not been executed yet.

# Options Hub

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

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  • CharlesBaker
    ·2023-07-16
    TOP

    VMW is only up because the current value of AVGO makes the buyout worth more than the $142.50/sh offered because it's a 50:50 cash:stock deal.

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  • JONESTea
    ·2023-07-16
    TOP

    The difference in what VMW is currently trading at and what the deal "could" be worth is because of two risks. 1) AVGO could drop significantly between now and the deal close 2) The deal could be rejected by regulators and never close. Both of these could have a big effect on the value of VMW shares.

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  • ZOE011
    ·2023-07-16
    TOP

    Can anyone shed light that is it good bargain to buy vmware share now as it is rallying to close gap. Also is it 50% cash and 50% bordcom share?

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    • Bel8680
      ok
      2023-07-16
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  • Cory2
    ·2023-07-16
    TOP
    Thanks. Still learning options and this gives good insight into the viable ones.
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  • 0billionaire
    ·2023-07-16
    TOP

    Do I actually have a choice whether I want shares of AVGO or cash? Is it true?

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  • TigerDan
    ·2023-07-16
    Thanks. Still learning options and this gives great fundamentals
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  • intheloop
    ·2023-07-17
    stay as a bystander or ride on it - a line of difference [Miser]
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  • Optionspuppy
    ·2023-07-16
    Are theu covered
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  • WonderElephant
    ·2023-07-18
    Great ariticle, would you like to share it?
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  • JunY
    ·2023-07-18
    anyone who say 99% make money means 100% will lose
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  • 伟棕
    ·2023-07-18

    Great ariticle, would you like to share it?

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  • BABAMood
    ·2023-07-18
    Great ariticle, would you like to share it?
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  • Joseph80
    ·2023-07-18

    Great ariticle, would you like to share it?

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  • lewis wooi
    ·2023-07-18
    Great ariticle, would you like to share it?
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  • Gold Tree88
    ·2023-07-18

    Great ariticle, would you like to share it?

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  • SEK
    ·2023-07-17

    Great ariticle, would you like to share it?

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  • Xratios
    ·2023-07-17

    Great ariticle, would you like to share it?

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  • 17888S11
    ·2023-07-17

    Great ariticle, would you like to share it?

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  • Jack Haddon
    ·2023-07-17

    Great ariticle, would you like to share it?

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  • Jamber
    ·2023-07-17
    Great ariticle, would you like to share it?
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