Behind the Scenes of Verizon Communications's Latest Options Trends

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on Verizon Communications VZ.

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 VZ, 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 Verizon Communications.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 62% bullish and 37%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 5 are puts, for a total amount of $173,520, and 3 are calls, for a total amount of $117,104.

Predicted Price Range

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $38.0 and $46.0 for Verizon Communications, spanning the last three months.

Analyzing Volume & Open Interest

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Verizon Communications stands at 4005.29, with a total volume reaching 5,562.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Verizon Communications, situated within the strike price corridor from $38.0 to $46.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Verizon Communications Call and Put Volume: 30-Day Overview

Biggest Options Spotted:

About Verizon Communications

Wireless services account for about 70% of Verizon Communications' total service revenue and nearly all of its operating income. The firm serves about 93 million postpaid and 21 million prepaid phone customers (following the acquisition of Tracfone) via its nationwide network, making it the largest US wireless carrier. Fixed-line telecom operations include local networks in the Northeast, which reach about 29 million homes and businesses and serve about 8 million broadband customers. Verizon also provides telecom services nationwide to enterprise customers, often using a mixture of its own and other carriers' networks.

Present Market Standing of Verizon Communications

• Currently trading with a volume of 8,682,319, the VZ's price is up by 3.0%, now at $42.38.
• RSI readings suggest the stock is currently may be approaching overbought.
• Anticipated earnings release is in 43 days.

What Analysts Are Saying About Verizon Communications

A total of 2 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $43.0.

• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Keybanc keeps a Overweight rating on Verizon Communications with a target price of $44.
• Reflecting concerns, an analyst from RBC Capital lowers its rating to Sector Perform with a new price target of $42.

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 Verizon Communications, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.