Morgan Stanley'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 Morgan Stanley MS.

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 this is an institution or just a wealthy individual, we don't know. But when something this big happens with MS, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 8 options trades for Morgan Stanley.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 75% bullish and 25%, bearish.

Out of all of the options we uncovered, 7 are puts, for a total amount of $379,526, and there was 1 call, for a total amount of $38,250.

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 $87.5 to $95.0 for Morgan Stanley over the last 3 months.

Volume & Open Interest Development

Assessing the volume and open interest is a strategic step in options trading. These metrics shed light on the liquidity and investor interest in Morgan Stanley's options at specified strike prices. The forthcoming data visualizes the fluctuation in volume and open interest for both calls and puts, linked to Morgan Stanley's substantial trades, within a strike price spectrum from $87.5 to $95.0 over the preceding 30 days.

Morgan Stanley Call and Put Volume: 30-Day Overview

Noteworthy Options Activity:

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a global investment bank whose history, through its legacy firms, can be traced back to 1924. The company has institutional securities, wealth management, and investment management segments. The company had over $4 trillion of client assets as well as over 80,000 employees at the end of 2022. Approximately 50% of the company's net revenue is from its institutional securities business, with the remainder coming from wealth and investment management. The company derives about 30% of its total revenue outside the Americas.

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

Morgan Stanley's Current Market Status

• With a trading volume of 1,198,447, the price of MS is up by 0.98%, reaching $91.4.
• Current RSI values indicate that the stock is is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.
• Next earnings report is scheduled for 4 days from now.

Expert Opinions on Morgan Stanley

In the last month, 5 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $94.8.

• An analyst from UBS persists with their Neutral rating on Morgan Stanley, maintaining a target price of $95.
• An analyst from Goldman Sachs persists with their Buy rating on Morgan Stanley, maintaining a target price of $100.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from JP Morgan keeps a Overweight rating on Morgan Stanley with a target price of $94.
• An analyst from RBC Capital has revised its rating downward to Sector Perform, adjusting the price target to $85.
• An analyst from B of A Securities persists with their Buy rating on Morgan Stanley, maintaining a target price of $100.

Trading options involves greater risks but also offers the potential for higher profits. Savvy traders mitigate these risks through ongoing education, strategic trade adjustments, utilizing various indicators, and staying attuned to market dynamics. Keep up with the latest options trades for Morgan Stanley with Benzinga Pro for real-time alerts.