A Good Stock Pick Is Only The Start
The Edge Starts With The Stocks
Portfolio Armor’s Top Names have been a persistent source of outperformance. Across all 171 completed weekly cohorts selected from December 29th, 2022 through April 2nd, 2026, they averaged 17.98% over six months, versus 9.89% for SPY. These are average unhedged stock returns across overlapping six-month periods.
Our March 26th, 2026 cohort returned an average of 70.92% over its six-month tracking period, versus 19.30% for SPY. The chart below shows each member’s result.
Two Ways To Use The Edge
In The Edge Starts With The Stocks, we outlined two ways to use that stock-selection edge: buy shares or place options trades on those names. For our options trades, we apply additional setup checks and choose the structure, entry price and management plan.
One member of that March 26th cohort became an options trade that returned 114% on the capital originally at risk in 68 days. Here’s the setup and how it played out.
Buying Below Our Limit
We opened the Western Digital (WDC) position on March 27th, 2026. It combined a September call spread with a May put spread, with one contract on each of four legs. The entry card below shows the structure and our originally published terms. This trade is now closed.
This trade filled at a $0.97 net debit.
The original alert set a maximum net debit of $1.45, slightly below our estimate of the structure’s fair value. We tried to get a better price first, and the order filled at $0.97.
That fill meant a $97 opening outlay. The $5-wide put spread added $500 of potential loss, making our original maximum risk $597 before fees, with both spreads kept intact. The lower fill reduced that figure from the $645 shown on the entry card.
Two Spreads, Two Exits
Our plan was to sell the call spread for an $8.00 net credit and close the put spread for a $0.20 net debit. Both exit orders filled before their respective expirations. The card below shows the result.
We paid $20 to close the puts on April 14th and collected $800 from closing the calls on June 3rd. Subtract the $97 opening outlay, and the trade produced $683 gross profit, or 114% on original maximum risk, in 68 calendar days, before fees. Both spreads were closed, so the result was realized well before the September calls expired.
We record all trade exits, win or lose, in our weekly Exits posts and public spreadsheet. This example shows the practical work behind an alert: enter the complete structure at an acceptable net price, establish its exits, and follow the position through its closing fills.
We’ll keep looking for attractive setups and publishing the entry and management plans that turn them into actionable trades.
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