Fixed Dollar Value Collar

  

Shirts with collars not only look spiffy, but that collar serves another purpose: it protects our neck. Whether we’ve got a scratchy scarf or an abrasive overcoat, that collar acts as a shield protecting some of our more delicate skin.

Fixed-dollar value collars serve the same purpose. When one company acquires another, a fixed-dollar value collar can be put in place to protect the neck-–er, stock value–-of the acquired (Company A) against fluctuations in the stock price of the acquirer (Company B).

Here’s how it works: Company A purchases stock with a short call position and long put position. Until those options expire, the stock is going to stay within a limited and protected value range, regardless of whether Company B’s stock drops like a stone or shoots through the roof. Specific M&A agreements will differ on the value of the stock, the quantity of stock available for purchase, and the ratio of exchange between Company A stock and Company B stock.

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Finance: What Is a Call Option?25 Views

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finance a la shmoop. what is a call option? option? option, where are you? okay

00:09

yeah yeah. not phone options, call options. and a close but no cigar. a call option [man smokes in a tub of cash]

00:14

is the right to call or buy a security. the concept is easy the math is hard.

00:24

you think Coca Cola's poised for a breakout as they go into the new low

00:30

calorie beverage business. their stock is at 50 bucks a share and you can buy a [man stands on a stage as crowd cheers]

00:35

call option for $1. well that call option buys you the right

00:39

to then buy coke stock at 55 bucks a share anytime you want in the next

00:44

hundred and 20 days. so let's say Coke announces its new sugarless drink flavor

00:48

zero it's two weeks later and the stock skyrockets to fifty eight dollars a

00:53

share. you've already paid the dollar for the option now you have to exercise it. [man lifts weights]

00:59

so you buy the stock and you're all in now for fifty five dollars plus one or

01:04

fifty six bucks a share and your total value is now fifty eight bucks. well you

01:10

could turn around today and sell the bundle that moment, and you'll have

01:13

turned your dollar into two dollars of profit really fast. and obviously had the [equation on screen]

01:18

stock not skyrocketed so quickly well you would have lost everything. still you

01:23

lucked out and now you're sitting on some serious cash, courtesy of your call [two men in a tub of cash]

01:27

options. as for Coke flavor zero turned out to be nothing more than canned water.

Up Next

Finance: What Is a Put Option?
83 Views

What is a put option? A put option is a type of contract that lets the investor sell shares of a stock at a certain price and within a window of ti...

Find other enlightening terms in Shmoop Finance Genius Bar(f)