American Express's Options Frenzy: What You Need to Know

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on American Express AXP.

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 AXP, 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 8 uncommon options trades for American Express.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 25% bullish and 62%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 2 are puts, for a total amount of $186,479, and 6 are calls, for a total amount of $996,351.

Predicted Price Range

Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $190.0 to $260.0 for American Express over the recent three 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 American Express's options at specified strike prices. The forthcoming data visualizes the fluctuation in volume and open interest for both calls and puts, linked to American Express's substantial trades, within a strike price spectrum from $190.0 to $260.0 over the preceding 30 days.

American Express Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

Noteworthy Options Activity:

About American Express

American Express is a global financial institution, operating in about 130 countries, that provides consumers and businesses charge and credit card payment products. The company also operates a highly profitable merchant payment network. Since 2018, it has operated in three segments: global consumer services, global commercial services, and global merchant and network services. In addition to payment products, the company's commercial business offers expense management tools, consulting services, and business loans.

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

Present Market Standing of American Express

• Trading volume stands at 711,813, with AXP's price down by -0.8%, positioned at $240.35.
• RSI indicators show the stock to be may be overbought.
• Earnings announcement expected in 67 days.

What Analysts Are Saying About American Express

In the last month, 5 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $243.6.

• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Deutsche Bank keeps a Buy rating on American Express with a target price of $260.
• An analyst from RBC Capital has decided to maintain their Outperform rating on American Express, which currently sits at a price target of $263.
• An analyst from TD Cowen persists with their Hold rating on American Express, maintaining a target price of $225.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Baird keeps a Underperform rating on American Express with a target price of $205.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Wells Fargo keeps a Overweight rating on American Express with a target price of $265.

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 American Express, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.