Unusual Twitter Options Activity Could Indicate More Buyout Rumors Ahead

Twitter Inc TWTR shares have been on the move in early Monday trading following some unusual options trading activity surrounding the stock. Twitter opened the week trading down as low as $17.85 after closing Friday’s session at $18.07. However, at around 10:43 a.m., shares jumped to $18.20 in a matter of minutes following a large amount buying activity in December weekly $19 and $18.50 calls.

Less than an hour later, Twitter was making new highs for the day on a second spike triggered by high-volume selling in January $25 puts.

The options trading could be a signal that at least one investor is speculating on a possible buyout in coming weeks. Earlier this year, Twitter shares climbed as high as $26.25 amid a swirl of buyout rumors. Those rumors have died down since salesforce.com, inc. CRM shot down the latest batch of rumors in early October.

Twitter’s tumultuous life on the public market has continued in 2016, as growth concerns have resulted in another 21.4 percent decline in Twitter’s stock. This year’s decline comes on the heels of a 36.7 percent decline in 2015.

However, every dollar that Twitter’s share price falls seems to stoke the buyout rumor flame. If Monday’s option market activity is any indication, there could be yet another Twitter rumor surfacing in the near future.

At last check, Twitter was up 0.61 percent at $18.17.