Nico Yong Is Considering the Purchase of 100 Shares of Cisco

Essay

Nico Yong is considering the purchase of 100 shares of Cisco Systems stock at $22 per share. Because the economy is picking up, Nico believes the demand for Oracle's router systems will increase substantially causing the price of Cisco's shares to increase to $30 per share. As an alternative, Nico is considering the purchase of a call option for 100 shares of Cisco at with an exercise price of $25. This 180 day option will cost Nico $200. Assume no brokerage costs or dividends.
(a) What will Nico's profit be on the stock transaction if he decides to buy the stock and its price does increase to $30 per share and he sells?
(b) How much will Nico earn on the option transaction if he purchases the option and the underlying stock price rises to $30?
(c) How much must the stock price rise for Nico to break even on the option transaction?
(d) Based on parts (a) and (b) above, what should Nico do? Explain.