For an investor to yield a profit, the price of the security has to increase before its exercise date as opposed to a put buyer whose outlook is bearish. The purchaser of a put option would be paying a premium to the writer/seller for the right to sell the shares at a pre-fixed price in the event that the price goes down. When there is indeed a rise in the value of a security, the investor should have bought it at the strike price and immediately sold it off at a higher market price and also may wait a little longer to discern the possibility of a further price rise.