Unpacking the Latest Options Trading Trends in Altria Group

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on Altria Group MO.

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the positions 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 MO, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 10 options trades for Altria Group.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 40% bullish and 30%, bearish.

Out of all of the options we uncovered, there was 1 put, for a total amount of $33,875, and 9, calls, for a total amount of $1,338,447.

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 $35.0 to $52.5 for Altria Group during the past quarter.

Insights into Volume & Open Interest

Looking at the volume and open interest is a powerful move while trading options. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Altria Group'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 Altria Group's whale trades within a strike price range from $35.0 to $52.5 in the last 30 days.

Altria Group Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

Biggest Options Spotted:

About Altria Group

Altria comprises Philip Morris USA, us Smokeless Tobacco, John Middleton, Horizon Innovations, and Helix Innovations. Through its tobacco subsidiaries, Altria maintains the leading position in cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in the United States and the number-two spot in machine-made cigars. The company's Marlboro brand is the leading cigarette brand in the us with 42% annual share in 2023. Beyond its core business, it holds an 8% interest in the world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev, a 42% stake in cannabis manufacturer Cronos, acquired Njoy Holdings in 2023, and operates a joint venture with Japan Tobacco in the heated tobacco category. It also recently disposed of its investment in Juul Labs.

After a thorough review of the options trading surrounding Altria Group, we move to examine the company in more detail. This includes an assessment of its current market status and performance.

Current Position of Altria Group

• With a volume of 4,372,060, the price of MO is up 0.22% at $52.76.
• RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be approaching overbought.
• Next earnings are expected to be released in 41 days.

What Analysts Are Saying About Altria Group

A total of 3 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $47.666666666666664.

• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from UBS keeps a Sell rating on Altria Group with a target price of $41.
• An analyst from Barclays has decided to maintain their Underweight rating on Altria Group, which currently sits at a price target of $45.
• An analyst from B of A Securities persists with their Neutral rating on Altria Group, maintaining a target price of $57.

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 Altria Group, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.