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 28 uncommon options trades for Morgan Stanley.
This isn't normal.
The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 25% bullish and 64%, bearish.
Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 6 are puts, for a total amount of $706,778, and 22 are calls, for a total amount of $1,058,963.
Projected Price Targets
Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $70.0 to $150.0 for Morgan Stanley over the recent three months.
Volume & Open Interest Trends
Examining the volume and open interest provides crucial insights into stock research. This information is key in gauging liquidity and interest levels for Morgan Stanley's options at certain strike prices. Below, we present a snapshot of the trends in volume and open interest for calls and puts across Morgan Stanley's significant trades, within a strike price range of $70.0 to $150.0, over the past month.
Morgan Stanley 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot
Biggest Options Spotted:
| Symbol | PUT/CALL | Trade Type | Sentiment | Exp. Date | Ask | Bid | Price | Strike Price | Total Trade Price | Open Interest | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS | PUT | TRADE | BEARISH | 04/17/25 | $1.95 | $1.88 | $1.93 | $115.00 | $250.5K | 2.1K | 1.3K |
| MS | PUT | TRADE | BEARISH | 07/18/25 | $3.75 | $3.6 | $3.75 | $115.00 | $187.5K | 1.9K | 505 |
| MS | CALL | TRADE | BULLISH | 03/21/25 | $0.56 | $0.51 | $0.54 | $150.00 | $162.0K | 3.2K | 3.0K |
| MS | PUT | TRADE | BEARISH | 01/17/25 | $2.5 | $2.41 | $2.5 | $130.00 | $100.0K | 3.2K | 541 |
| MS | CALL | TRADE | BULLISH | 01/17/25 | $2.0 | $2.0 | $2.0 | $128.00 | $83.2K | 908 | 0 |
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.
Current Position of Morgan Stanley
- Trading volume stands at 3,411,372, with MS's price up by 4.19%, positioned at $129.84.
- RSI indicators show the stock to be may be approaching overbought.
- Earnings announcement expected in 1 days.
Professional Analyst Ratings for Morgan Stanley
3 market experts have recently issued ratings for this stock, with a consensus target price of $136.33333333333334.
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20-year pro options trader reveals his one-line chart technique that shows when to buy and sell. Copy his trades, which have had averaged a 27% profit every 20 days. Click here for access. * Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from JP Morgan keeps a Neutral rating on Morgan Stanley with a target price of $108. * An analyst from B of A Securities has decided to maintain their Buy rating on Morgan Stanley, which currently sits at a price target of $146. * Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Barclays keeps a Overweight rating on Morgan Stanley with a target price of $155.
Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest Morgan Stanley options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.
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