Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Morgan Stanley MS.
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 MS, 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 Morgan Stanley.
This isn't normal.
The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 12% bullish and 62%, bearish.
Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 3 are puts, for a total amount of $240,938, and 5 are calls, for a total amount of $415,550.
What's The Price Target?
Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $80.0 to $130.0 for Morgan Stanley over the last 3 months.
Volume & Open Interest Trends
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 Morgan Stanley'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 Morgan Stanley's whale trades within a strike price range from $80.0 to $130.0 in the last 30 days.
Morgan Stanley Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days
Noteworthy Options Activity:
| Symbol | PUT/CALL | Trade Type | Sentiment | Exp. Date | Ask | Bid | Price | Strike Price | Total Trade Price | Open Interest | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS | CALL | SWEEP | NEUTRAL | 01/15/27 | $8.95 | $8.1 | $8.95 | $130.00 | $178.8K | 1 | 200 |
| MS | CALL | TRADE | BULLISH | 03/21/25 | $29.8 | $29.55 | $29.8 | $80.00 | $149.0K | 104 | 50 |
| MS | PUT | SWEEP | BEARISH | 09/19/25 | $13.5 | $13.35 | $13.5 | $115.00 | $106.6K | 18 | 80 |
| MS | PUT | SWEEP | BEARISH | 09/19/25 | $13.7 | $13.55 | $13.7 | $115.00 | $104.1K | 18 | 158 |
| MS | PUT | SWEEP | BEARISH | 10/18/24 | $2.93 | $2.92 | $2.92 | $109.00 | $30.1K | 208 | 19 |
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a global investment bank whose history, through its legacy firms, can be traced back to 1924. The company has institutional securities, wealth management, and investment management segments with approximately 45% of net revenue from its institutional securities business, 45% from wealth management, and 10% from investment management. About 30% of its total revenue is from outside the Americas. The company had over $5 trillion of client assets as well as around 80,000 employees at the end of 2023.
Having examined the options trading patterns of Morgan Stanley, our attention now turns directly to the company. This shift allows us to delve into its present market position and performance
Morgan Stanley's Current Market Status
- With a trading volume of 909,259, the price of MS is down by -1.0%, reaching $107.94.
- Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be overbought.
- Next earnings report is scheduled for 6 days from now.
What The Experts Say On Morgan Stanley
Over the past month, 3 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $112.0.
Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move
Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access. * Showing optimism, an analyst from HSBC upgrades its rating to Buy with a revised price target of $118. * An analyst from Goldman Sachs persists with their Neutral rating on Morgan Stanley, maintaining a target price of $106. * An analyst from UBS persists with their Neutral rating on Morgan Stanley, maintaining a target price of $112.
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 Morgan Stanley, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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