A Closer Look at Altria Group's Options Market Dynamics

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

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 MO, 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 12 uncommon options trades for Altria Group.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 33% bullish and 58%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 3 are puts, for a total amount of $162,359, and 9 are calls, for a total amount of $461,579.

Projected Price Targets

Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $20.0 to $61.0 for Altria Group over the last 3 months.

Insights into Volume & Open Interest

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Altria Group stands at 292.5, with a total volume reaching 920.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Altria Group, situated within the strike price corridor from $20.0 to $61.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Altria Group 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Noteworthy Options Activity:

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.

Present Market Standing of Altria Group

• With a trading volume of 1,533,327, the price of MO is down by -0.74%, reaching $53.45.
• Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be approaching overbought.
• Next earnings report is scheduled for 76 days from now.

What Analysts Are Saying About Altria Group

In the last month, 2 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $53.5.

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. * An analyst from Morgan Stanley downgraded its action to Equal-Weight with a price target of $54. * An analyst from Morgan Stanley has decided to maintain their Equal-Weight rating on Altria Group, which currently sits at a price target of $53.

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.