Market Whales and Their Recent Bets on CCL Options

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on Carnival CCL.

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 CCL, 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 Carnival.

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 special options we uncovered, 10 are puts, for a total amount of $346,821, and 2 are calls, for a total amount of $185,330.

What's The Price Target?

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $12.0 and $20.0 for Carnival, spanning the last three months.

Volume & Open Interest Development

Looking at the volume and open interest is a powerful move while trading options. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Carnival's options for a given strike price. Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of Carnival's whale trades within a strike price range from $12.0 to $20.0 in the last 30 days.

Carnival Call and Put Volume: 30-Day Overview

Largest Options Trades Observed:

About Carnival

Carnival is the largest global cruise company, with 92 ships in service at the end of fiscal 2023. Its portfolio of brands includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn in North America; P&O Cruises and Cunard Line in the United Kingdom; Aida in Germany; Costa Cruises in Southern Europe; and P&O Cruises in Australia. Carnival also owns Holland America Princess Alaska Tours in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Carnival's brands attracted nearly 13 million guests in 2019, prior to COVID-19, a level it has reached again in 2023.

Having examined the options trading patterns of Carnival, our attention now turns directly to the company. This shift allows us to delve into its present market position and performance

Present Market Standing of Carnival

• Trading volume stands at 9,234,156, with CCL's price down by -0.38%, positioned at $15.6.
• RSI indicators show the stock to be is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.
• Earnings announcement expected in 76 days.

Expert Opinions on Carnival

In the last month, 5 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $22.2.

• An analyst from Susquehanna has decided to maintain their Positive rating on Carnival, which currently sits at a price target of $22.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Macquarie keeps a Outperform rating on Carnival with a target price of $24.
• An analyst from Susquehanna has decided to maintain their Positive rating on Carnival, which currently sits at a price target of $22.
• An analyst from JP Morgan persists with their Overweight rating on Carnival, maintaining a target price of $23.
• An analyst from Goldman Sachs downgraded its action to Buy with a price target of $20.

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 Carnival with Benzinga Pro for real-time alerts.