Decoding Verizon Communications's Options Activity: What's the Big Picture?

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on Verizon Communications VZ.

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with VZ, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

So how do we know what these investors just did?

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 8 uncommon options trades for Verizon Communications.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 50% bullish and 50%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 4 are puts, for a total amount of $209,613, and 4 are calls, for a total amount of $225,995.

Expected Price Movements

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $33.0 to $40.5 for Verizon Communications during the past quarter.

Insights into Volume & Open Interest

Looking at the volume and open interest is an insightful way to conduct due diligence on a stock.

This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Verizon Communications's options for a given strike price.

Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of Verizon Communications's whale activity within a strike price range from $33.0 to $40.5 in the last 30 days.

Verizon Communications 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Biggest Options Spotted:

About Verizon Communications

Wireless services account for about 70% of Verizon Communications' total service revenue and nearly all of its operating income. The firm serves about 93 million postpaid and 21 million prepaid phone customers (following the acquisition of Tracfone) via its nationwide network, making it the largest U.S. wireless carrier. Fixed-line telecom operations include local networks in the Northeast, which reach about 25 million homes and businesses and serve about 8 million broadband customers. Verizon also provides telecom services nationwide to enterprise customers, often using a mixture of its own and other carriers' networks.

Current Position of Verizon Communications

• With a volume of 6,461,885, the price of VZ is down -0.15% at $40.1.
• RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.
• Next earnings are expected to be released in 10 days.

What The Experts Say On Verizon Communications

3 market experts have recently issued ratings for this stock, with a consensus target price of $42.333333333333336.

• An analyst from Oppenheimer has decided to maintain their Outperform rating on Verizon Communications, which currently sits at a price target of $48.
• An analyst from RBC Capital has decided to maintain their Sector Perform rating on Verizon Communications, which currently sits at a price target of $40.
• Showing optimism, an analyst from Redburn Atlantic upgrades its rating to Neutral with a revised price target of $39.

Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest Verizon Communications options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.