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Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ - option chain) shares are lower today after the medical giant announced it would acquire breast implant company Mentor (NYSE: MNT). JNJ put the price for MNT at $31 per share, more than 90% above Friday's price of $16. This kind of buyout activity could signal a couple things. First JNJ is in pretty good financial shape and second that many stocks are undervalued and that resilient companies like JNJ might be looking into making moves in the coming months. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on JNJ.

JNJ opened this morning at $57.66. So far today the stock has hit a low of $56.45 and a high of $57.82. As of 12:40, JNJ is trading at $56.49, down $2.09 (3.6%). The chart for JNJ looks bullish and S&P gives JNJ its highest 5 STARS (out of 5) strong buy ranking.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a December bull-put credit spread below the $50 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 7.5% return in just three weeks as long as JNJ is above $50 at December expiration. Johnson & Johnson would have to fall by more than 11% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

JNJ hasn't been below $52 at all in the past year and has shown support around $56 recently.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in MNT. He does control a bullish hedged position in JNJ.

Tiffany & Co (NYSE: TIF - option chain) shares are falling today after the company forecast 2008 EPS in a range between $2.30 and $2.50, below analysts' estimates of $2.58. TIF blamed weak consumer spending for the forecast. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on TIF.

This morning, TGT opened at $18.66. So far today the stock has hit a low of $18.61 and a high of $21.50. As of 12:35, TIF is trading at $20.45, down $0.38 (-1.8%). The chart for TIF looks neutral and S&P gives TIF a 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

For a bearish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a February bear-call credit spread above the $30 range.

InterDigital (NASDAQ: IDCC - option chain) shares opened higher today after the company announced it has resolved its patent dispute with Samsung Electronics Co. Under the agreement, IDCC has granted Samsung a license that covers 3G wireless handsets through 2012. The license allows IDCC to collect royalties from Samsung. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on IDCC.

IDCC opened this morning at $28.10. So far today the stock has hit a low of $25.35 and a high of $28.98. As of 12:35, IDCC is trading at $28.98, up 0.29 (1.1%). The chart for IDCC looks neutral.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a January bull-put credit spread below the $15 range.

Genentech (NYSE: DNA - option chain) shares have moved higher today after the company and its partner Roche announced its breast-cancer drug Avastin improved the survival time for patients in a late-stage study. The results bring DNA one step closer to full regulatory approval from the FDA. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on DNA.

DNA opened this morning at $76.40. So far today the stock has hit a low of $74.86 and a high of $79.16. As of 12:40, DNA is trading at $77.09, up $4.35 (6.0%). The chart for DNA looks bullish and S&P gives DNA a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a December bull-put credit spread below the $65 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 4.2% return in just four weeks as long as DNA is above $65 at December expiration. Genentech would have to fall by more than 16% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

DNA hasn't been below $65 at all in the past year and has shown support around $69 recently.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in DNA.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY - option chain) shares are falling today after the European Medicines Agency said it has rejected a request by BMY to market its breast cancer drug Ixempra. The agency said the increase in survival rates using the drug was not significant enough to warrant approval. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on BMY.

This morning, BMY opened at $18.92. So far today the stock has hit a low of $18.12 and a high of $19.30. As of 12:15, BMY is trading at $18.60, down $0.68 (3.5%). The chart for BMY looks bullish and S&P gives BMY a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

For a bearish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a December bear-call credit spread above the $22.50 range. A bear-call credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of call options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make an 8.7% return in four weeks as long as BMY is below $22.50 at December expiration. Bristol-Myers would have to rise by more than 21% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

TGT hasn't been above $45 since early September and shown resistance around $21.50 recently.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in BMY.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC - option chain) shares have moved higher today after with other large defense contractors after President Bush and Defense Secretary Gates recommended that President-elect Obama increase overall defense spending for at least the next five years. This comes just one day after NOC CEO Ron Sugar said that he expects steady spending for at least the next two years. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on NOC.

NOC opened this morning at $36.80. So far today the stock has hit a low of $35.24 and a high of $38.05. As of 12:35, NOC is trading at $37.70, up 90 cents (2.4%). The chart for NOC looks bullish and S&P gives NOC a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a December bull-put credit spread below the $30 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make an 8.7% return in just one month as long as NOC is above $30 at December expiration. NOC would have to fall by more than 20% before we would start to lose money.

NOC hasn't been below $35 at all in the past year and has shown support around $35.25 recently.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in NOC.

Teva Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TEVA - option chain) shares have moved higher today after the Food & Drug Administration approved the company's generic version Pulmicort, an asthma drug made by competitor AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN). If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on TEVA.

TEVA opened this morning at $43.00. So far today the stock has hit a low of $42.55 and a high of $43.78. As of 12:25, TEVA is trading at $42.84, up $0.65 (1.5%). The chart for TEVA looks bullish and S&P gives TEVA a positive 5 STARS (out of 5) strong buy ranking.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a January bull-put credit spread below the $35 range.

Medtronic (NYSE: MDT - option chain) shares are way lower today after the company posted a second-quarter profit of $571 million, or 51 cents per share. The company's adjusted profit of 67 cents per share missed analysts' estimates of 71 cents per share. MDT also lowered their fiscal-2009 EPS forecast by about 3% on both the high and low ends. None of this is helping the stock today. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on MDT.

This morning, MDT opened at $34.49. So far today the stock has hit a low of $31.25 and a high of $35.48. As of 12:30, MDT is trading at $32.24, down $4.18 (11.5%). The chart for MDT looks neutral and S&P gives MDT a 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

For a bearish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a January bear-call credit spread above the $42.50 range.

Eaton (NYSE: ETN - option chain) shares have soared higher today after Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) disclosed in an SEC filing Friday afternoon that it has bought 2.91 million shares of ETN over the past six months. Usuall,y when announcements like this are made, investors follow the Oracle of Omaha and send the stock higher. If you think the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on ETN.

ETN opened this morning at $42.30. So far today the stock has hit a low of $41.48 and a high of $43.35. As of 12:25, ETN is trading at $43.49, up $2.34 (5.7%). The chart for ETN looks neutral and S&P gives ETN a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a December bull-put credit spread below the $30 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 5.3% return in just five weeks as long as ETN is above $30 at December expiration. Eaton would have to fall by more than 30% before we would start to lose money.

ETN hasn't been below $37 at all in the past year and has shown support around $39 recently.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in ETN or Berkshire.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) shares are lower today, dragged down by the overall market. However, it has been reported that CEO Vikram Pandit and another big shot at C have recently purchased a combined one million shares of the bank's stock. These guys may just be making a big show of confidence, but it is still roughly $9M on the line in these transactions. If you think that insider buying means the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on C.

C opened this morning at $9.76. So far today the stock has hit a low of $8.79 and a high of $10.11. As of 1:55, C is trading at $9.19, down 0.26 (-2.8%). The chart for C looks bearish and S&P gives C a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a December bull-put credit spread below the $5 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 10.1% return in just five weeks as long as C is above $5 at December expiration. Citi would have to fall by more than 45% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

C hasn't been below $8 at all in the past year and has shown support around $8.25 recently.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in C.

Nokia (NYSE: NOK - option chain) shares are falling today after the company warned that the global mobile phone market will weaken in 2009. NOK forecast global handset sales of 1.24 billion phones in 2009, down from a previous estimate of 1.26 billion. The entire industry is taking a hit today from this announcement including competitors like Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) and Motorola (NYSE: MOT) as well as suppliers such as Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM). If you think this Nokia won't be rising too far in the coming months of economic headwinds, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on NOK.

This morning, NOK opened at $12.43. So far today the stock has hit a low of $12.22 and a high of $12.97. As of 12:40, NOK is trading at $12.57, down $1.58 (11.2%). The chart for NOK looks neutral and S&P gives NOK a 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

For a bearish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a December bear-call credit spread above the $15 range. A bear-call credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of call options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make an 11.1% return in five weeks as long as NOK is below $15 at December expiration. Nokia would have to rise by more than 19% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in NOK, RIMM, MOT, or QCOM.

Wyeth (NYSE: WYE - option chain) shares have moved higher today after the FDA approved the usage of the company's PREMARIN to treat moderate to severe postmenopausal dyspareunia, which is just a clinical way of saying painful sexual intercourse. Helping treat that sounds like a good thing to me. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on WYE.

WYE opened this morning at $32.68. So far today the stock has hit a low of $32.68 and a high of $34.29. As of 12:45, WYE is trading at $33.70, up $1.26 (3.9%). The chart for WYE looks neutral and S&P gives WYE a 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a December bull-put credit spread below the $27.50 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make an 8.7% return in just five weeks as long as WYE is above $27.50 at December expiration. Wyeth would have to fall by more than 18% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

WYE hasn't been below $28 at all in the past year and has shown support around $30 recently.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in WYE.

Diana Shipping (NYSE: DSX) shares have been sinking today after the company announced it will suspend dividend payments after December. DSX had been paying a 25.30% annual dividend rate. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on DSX.

This morning, DSX opened at $12.50. So far today the stock has hit a low of $10.28 and a high of $11.01. As of 2:35, DSX is trading at $10.96, down $2.97 (21.3%). The chart for DSX looks bearish.

For a bearish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a November bear-call credit spread above the $12.50 range. A bear-call credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of call options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make an 11.1% return in ten days as long as DSX is below $12.50 at November expiration. DSX would have to rise by more than 14% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in DSX.

State Street (NYSE: STT - option chain) shares are moving higher today despite the markets being in the toilet again. This could be because STT is one of the companies that are getting cash from the government. STT will receive a $2 billion cash injection from the federal government in return for non-voting senior preferred stock. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on STT.

STT opened this morning at $40.88. So far today the stock has hit a low of $40.63 and a high of $44.93. As of 12:20, STT is trading at $41.61, up 0.38 (0.9%). The chart for STT looks neutral and S&P gives STT a 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a January bull-put credit spread below the $25 range.

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS - option chain) and FedEx (NYSE: FDX) shares are getting a lift after competitor Deutsche Post AG announced it will close all DHL Express service centers in the U.S. Since UPS has been the steadier of the two survivors over the past year, I am more interested in a trade on that stock. If you think that UPS won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on the stock.

UPS opened this morning at $53.98. So far today the stock has hit a low of $52.80 and a high of $55.01. As of 12:45, UPS is trading at $53.53, up $1.61 (3.1%). The chart for UPS looks neutral and S&P gives UPS a 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a December bull-put credit spread below the $40 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 6.4% return in just six weeks as long as UPS is above $40 at December expiration. UPS would have to fall by more than 24% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

UPS hasn't been below $40 at all in the past year and has shown support around $50 recently.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in UPS nor FDX.