Behind the Scenes of Applied Mat's Latest Options Trends

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 17 uncommon options trades for Applied Mat.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 58% bullish and 41%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 4 are puts, for a total amount of $322,195, and 13 are calls, for a total amount of $968,816.

Projected Price Targets

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $130.0 and $190.0 for Applied Mat, spanning the last three months.

Insights into Volume & Open Interest

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Applied Mat stands at 1794.36, with a total volume reaching 5,887.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Applied Mat, situated within the strike price corridor from $130.0 to $190.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Applied Mat Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

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.

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

Current Position of Applied Mat

• With a volume of 2,945,169, the price of AMAT is down -0.22% at $167.93.
• RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be approaching overbought.
• Next earnings are expected to be released in 23 days.

Professional Analyst Ratings for Applied Mat

A total of 3 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $166.66666666666666.

• Reflecting concerns, an analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald lowers its rating to Neutral with a new price target of $180.
• An analyst from Raymond James has decided to maintain their Outperform rating on Applied Mat, which currently sits at a price target of $180.
• An analyst from Barclays has decided to maintain their Underweight rating on Applied Mat, which currently sits at a price target of $140.

Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest Applied Mat options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.