Blackboard Options Active

Today’s tickers: BBBB, CREE, HBI & FRX BBBB  - Blackboard, Inc. –  Shares in the provider of enterprise software applications and services to the education industry jumped 34.8% to an intraday and new all-time high of $50.10 on news the company received unsolicited buyout offers. Blackboard has reportedly hired Barclays Capital as its financial advisor as it evaluates takeover bids. Buyers of May $40 strike call options on Monday saw premium on the then out-of-the-money contracts explode during the current session. It looks like investors paid an average premium of $0.40 apiece for roughly 1,200 calls at the May $40 strike yesterday afternoon. The huge run up in the price of the underlying shares, which were halted for a brief period earlier today, lifted the asking price on the calls up to $10.50 per contract as of 2:50pm in New York. Traders populating Blackboard options during the current session focused in on the May $50 strike calls. Approximately 2,500 calls changed hands at that strike today. Two-way trading traffic in the calls suggests that slightly more of the options were sold than purchased, for an average premium of $1.73 each. Blackboard is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings after the market closes on May 4, 2011. CREE  - Cree, Inc. –  Bull call spreads were purchased on the maker of light emitting diode (LED) products straight out of the gate this morning ahead of Cree’s third-quarter earnings report after the final bell. Shares in the Durham, NC-based company are currently down 1.5% to stand at $40.46 as of 11:25am in New York. The stock is hovering just above its 52-week low of $40.25 set on Monday, which is less than half of Cree’s 52-week high of $82.85 recorded nearly one year ago on April 20, 2010. Traders initiating debit call spreads may…