Valero Energy's Options: A Look at What the Big Money is Thinking

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on Valero Energy VLO.

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 VLO, 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 9 uncommon options trades for Valero Energy.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 77% bullish and 22%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 6 are puts, for a total amount of $360,876, and 3 are calls, for a total amount of $102,330.

Expected Price Movements

Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $110.0 to $150.0 for Valero Energy over the last 3 months.

Volume & Open Interest Development

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Valero Energy stands at 4645.71, with a total volume reaching 901.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Valero Energy, situated within the strike price corridor from $110.0 to $150.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Valero Energy Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days

Biggest Options Spotted:

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy is one of the largest independent refiners in the United States. It operates 15 refineries, with a total throughput capacity of 3.2 million barrels a day in the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Valero also owns 12 ethanol plants with capacity of 1.6 billion gallons a year and holds a 50% stake in Diamond Green Diesel, which has the capacity to produce 1.2 billion gallons per year of renewable diesel.

Present Market Standing of Valero Energy

• Currently trading with a volume of 962,494, the VLO's price is down by -0.5%, now at $133.79.
• RSI readings suggest the stock is currently may be approaching oversold.
• Anticipated earnings release is in 31 days.

What Analysts Are Saying About Valero Energy

In the last month, 4 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $149.25.

Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move

Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access. * Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Mizuho keeps a Outperform rating on Valero Energy with a target price of $171. * An analyst from Goldman Sachs persists with their Sell rating on Valero Energy, maintaining a target price of $131. * Reflecting concerns, an analyst from Piper Sandler lowers its rating to Neutral with a new price target of $123. * Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Wells Fargo continues to hold a Equal-Weight rating for Valero Energy, targeting a price of $172.

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 Valero Energy, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.