zulily (ZU) shareholder Alibaba (BABA) is unlikely to make a competing takeover bid for the online retailer, Baird analyst Colin Sebastian tells investors in a research note. Alibaba, which upped its stake in zulily to 9% in May, likely views the company as an investment rather than a vehicle to enter the U.S. market, Sebastian argues. This morning, Liberty Interactive (QVCA) announced it had reached an agreement to acquire zulily for $18.75 per share or $2.4B. The analyst sees strategic benefits from the deal. Increased takeover activity in the small-cap internet space could support the valuations of the remaining independents, including ChannelAdvisor (ECOM), Yelp (YELP), Groupon (GRPN), Angie's List (ANGI) and RetailMeNot (SALE), Sebastian writes. Shares of zulily are soaring 47% to $18.50 following the takeover agreement.

Bullish option flow detected in Groupon with 8,232 calls trading, 3x expected, and implied vol increasing over 2 points to 117.96%. Jun-24 12 calls and May-24 13 calls are the most active options, with total volume in those strikes near 4,100 contracts. The Put/Call Ratio is 0.02. Earnings are expected on May 8th.

Bullish option flow detected in Groupon with 5,357 calls trading, 1.6x expected, and implied vol increasing almost 4 points to 115.04%. May-24 9 puts and Apr-24 11 calls are the most active options, with total volume in those strikes near 4,500 contracts. The Put/Call Ratio is 0.61. Earnings are expected on May 8th.