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Shares of Electronic Arts have been weak for years, and one investor doesn't expect anything to change soon.

optionMONSTER's monitoring systems detected the sale of 10,000 September 11 puts for $0.53 and 10,000 September 12 calls for $0.45. Volume was more than triple open interest at each strike.

The trader collected a credit of $0.98, which he or she will get to keep if EA remains between $11 and $12 at expiration. Gains will erode outside that range, turning to losses below $10.02 and above $12.98.

EA rose 5.99 percent to $11.68 yesterday after first-quarter profits beat expectations, but it has lost more than 40 percent of its value this year. The video-game maker has steadily drifted lower as business slows and mounting competition scares investors away. Results have often beaten estimates, but guidance has generally been weak.

Yesterday's trade, known as a short strangle , is a common strategy when investors expect a stock to remain in its range. (See our Education section for more ideas on how to make money from the passage of time rather than a directional move .)

Overall option volume was 10 times greater than average in the session.

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