Spotlight on Applied Mat: Analyzing the Surge in Options Activity

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on Applied Mat AMAT.

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 AMAT, 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 14 uncommon options trades for Applied Mat.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 57% bullish and 35%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 6 are puts, for a total amount of $542,895, and 8 are calls, for a total amount of $447,404.

Predicted Price Range

Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $110.0 to $220.0 for Applied Mat over the recent three months.

Volume & Open Interest Trends

Assessing the volume and open interest is a strategic step in options trading. These metrics shed light on the liquidity and investor interest in Applied Mat's options at specified strike prices. The forthcoming data visualizes the fluctuation in volume and open interest for both calls and puts, linked to Applied Mat's substantial trades, within a strike price spectrum from $110.0 to $220.0 over the preceding 30 days.

Applied Mat 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Noteworthy Options Activity:

About Applied Mat

Applied Materials is the largest semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment, or WFE, manufacturer in the world. Applied Materials has a broad portfolio spanning nearly every corner of the WFE ecosystem. Specifically, Applied Materials holds a market share leadership position in deposition, which entails the layering of new materials on semiconductor wafers. It is more exposed to general-purpose logic chips made at integrated device manufacturers and foundries. It counts the largest chipmakers in the world as customers, including TSMC, Intel, and Samsung.

Following our analysis of the options activities associated with Applied Mat, we pivot to a closer look at the company's own performance.

Present Market Standing of Applied Mat

• With a trading volume of 1,389,506, the price of AMAT is up by 0.92%, reaching $202.05.
• Current RSI values indicate that the stock is is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.
• Next earnings report is scheduled for 83 days from now.

What Analysts Are Saying About Applied Mat

A total of 5 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $246.8.

• An analyst from JP Morgan persists with their Overweight rating on Applied Mat, maintaining a target price of $250.
• Reflecting concerns, an analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald lowers its rating to Overweight with a new price target of $250.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from B. Riley Securities keeps a Buy rating on Applied Mat with a target price of $280.
• An analyst from Morgan Stanley has decided to maintain their Equal-Weight rating on Applied Mat, which currently sits at a price target of $224.
• An analyst from Deutsche Bank has decided to maintain their Hold rating on Applied Mat, which currently sits at a price target of $230.

Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely.

If you want to stay updated on the latest options trades for Applied Mat, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.