A Closer Look at Applied Mat's Options Market Dynamics

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on Applied Mat AMAT.

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 AMAT, 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 24 uncommon options trades for Applied Mat.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 58% bullish and 33%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 4 are puts, for a total amount of $1,295,935, and 20 are calls, for a total amount of $968,497.

Projected Price Targets

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $120.0 and $210.0 for Applied Mat, spanning the last three months.

Volume & Open Interest Trends

In terms of liquidity and interest, the mean open interest for Applied Mat options trades today is 935.79 with a total volume of 2,321.00.

In the following chart, we are able to follow the development of volume and open interest of call and put options for Applied Mat's big money trades within a strike price range of $120.0 to $210.0 over the last 30 days.

Applied Mat Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days

Biggest Options Spotted:

About Applied Mat

Applied Materials Inc is the largest semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment, or WFE, manufacturer in the world. Applied Materials has a broad portfolio spanning nearly every corner of the WFE ecosystem. Specifically, Applied Materials holds a market share leadership position in deposition, which entails the layering of new materials on semiconductor wafers. It is more exposed to general-purpose logic chips made at integrated device manufacturers and foundries. It counts the largest chipmakers in the world as customers, including TSMC, Intel, and Samsung.

Following our analysis of the options activities associated with Applied Mat, we pivot to a closer look at the company's own performance.

Present Market Standing of Applied Mat

• With a volume of 2,183,774, the price of AMAT is up 0.68% at $172.03.
• RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be approaching overbought.
• Next earnings are expected to be released in 30 days.

Expert Opinions on Applied Mat

Over the past month, 3 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $204.0.

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. * An analyst from Goldman Sachs has decided to maintain their Buy rating on Applied Mat, which currently sits at a price target of $202. * An analyst from Wells Fargo has decided to maintain their Overweight rating on Applied Mat, which currently sits at a price target of $200. * An analyst from Mizuho persists with their Outperform rating on Applied Mat, maintaining a target price of $210.

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 Applied Mat, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.