High-rolling investors have positioned themselves bearish on Merck & Co MRK, and it's important for retail traders to take note. \This activity came to our attention today through Benzinga's tracking of publicly available options data. The identities of these investors are uncertain, but such a significant move in MRK often signals that someone has privileged information.
Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 8 options trades for Merck & Co. This is not a typical pattern.
The sentiment among these major traders is split, with 12% bullish and 87% bearish. Among all the options we identified, there was one put, amounting to $69,911, and 7 calls, totaling $245,550.
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 $105.0 to $130.0 for Merck & Co over the last 3 months.
Volume & Open Interest Trends
In terms of liquidity and interest, the mean open interest for Merck & Co options trades today is 2334.0 with a total volume of 422.00.
In the following chart, we are able to follow the development of volume and open interest of call and put options for Merck & Co's big money trades within a strike price range of $105.0 to $130.0 over the last 30 days.
Merck & Co 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot
Largest Options Trades Observed:
| Symbol | PUT/CALL | Trade Type | Sentiment | Exp. Date | Ask | Bid | Price | Strike Price | Total Trade Price | Open Interest | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRK | PUT | SWEEP | BEARISH | 06/20/25 | $9.0 | $8.6 | $8.88 | $130.00 | $69.9K | 38 | 78 |
| MRK | CALL | SWEEP | NEUTRAL | 04/19/24 | $10.8 | $10.55 | $10.67 | $120.00 | $53.3K | 5.7K | 80 |
| MRK | CALL | SWEEP | NEUTRAL | 04/19/24 | $10.8 | $10.6 | $10.71 | $120.00 | $47.0K | 5.7K | 132 |
| MRK | CALL | SWEEP | BULLISH | 04/26/24 | $6.35 | $6.25 | $6.35 | $125.00 | $31.7K | 21 | 53 |
| MRK | CALL | TRADE | NEUTRAL | 01/17/25 | $29.15 | $28.8 | $28.96 | $105.00 | $28.9K | 5.5K | 32 |
About Merck & Co
Merck makes pharmaceutical products to treat several conditions in a number of therapeutic areas, including cardiometabolic disease, cancer, and infections. Within cancer, the firm's immuno-oncology platform is growing as a major contributor to overall sales. The company also has a substantial vaccine business, with treatments to prevent pediatric diseases as well as human papillomavirus, or HPV. Additionally, Merck sells animal health-related drugs. From a geographical perspective, just under half of the company's sales are generated in the United States.
Present Market Standing of Merck & Co
- With a volume of 7,740,611, the price of MRK is down -0.35% at $129.9.
- RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be approaching overbought.
- Next earnings are expected to be released in 22 days.
What Analysts Are Saying About Merck & Co
In the last month, 5 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $128.8.
- In a cautious move, an analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded its rating to Overweight, setting a price target of $135.
- In a cautious move, an analyst from Societe Generale downgraded its rating to Sell, setting a price target of $104.
- An analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded its action to Overweight with a price target of $135.
- Reflecting concerns, an analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald lowers its rating to Overweight with a new price target of $135.
- An analyst from Wells Fargo persists with their Equal-Weight rating on Merck & Co, maintaining a target price of $135.
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 Merck & Co options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
