Credit card titan MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE: MA, Stock Forum) recently rebounded from annual low territory, after sector peer Visa Inc. (NYSE: V, Stock Forum) affirmed its forecast for 2010 net revenue growth at the high end of the 11% to 15% range. Now, the shares of MA are attempting to topple their 10-day moving average, but could find another layer of short-term resistance at its 20-day moving average, as this duo of trendlines has rejected the stock’s rally attempts since mid-August.
The news – and the stock’s subsequent bounce – likely isn’t sitting well with the options crowd, with sentiment starting to lean towards the bearish side of the spectrum. More specifically, MA's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE)/Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) put/call volume ratio of 1.00 ranks in the 84th annual percentile, suggesting that options players have been purchasing bearish bets over bullish at a faster pace than usual.
Elsewhere, short sellers are also likely hoping for a run-in with trendline resistance to stifle MA’s rebound. Despite depleting by 26% during the past month, short interest still accounts for 4.6% of the stock’s total available float, and would take more than a week to unwind, at the equity’s average daily trading volume.
Should the shares of MA continue to capitalize on today’s bout of sector strength, the skepticism surrounding the stock may actually work to its advantage. A reclaiming of its 10-day and 20-day moving averages could spook options traders and short sellers into abandoning their bearish bets, which could translate into fresh buying pressure for the beleaguered credit card concern.
On the other hand, another dip into annual low territory could incur additional wrath from the brokerage bunch. According to Zacks, 29 analysts still consider MA worthy of a “buy” or better endorsement, compared to just two analysts harboring “hold” or worse ratings. Earlier this week, MA was downgraded to “market perform” from “outperform” by analysts at Bernstein, and another wave of bearish brokerage attention could exacerbate the security’s year-to-date deficit.
Disclaimer: Neither Elizabeth Harrow nor Andrea Kramer have any financial interest in any of the equities or products mentioned in this column.