Market Whales and Their Recent Bets on AMAT Options

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish 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 4% bullish and 87%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 2 are puts, for a total amount of $140,891, and 22 are calls, for a total amount of $1,608,742.

What's The Price Target?

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $150.0 to $177.5 for Applied Mat during the past quarter.

Volume & Open Interest Development

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Applied Mat stands at 1158.86, with a total volume reaching 9,186.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Applied Mat, situated within the strike price corridor from $150.0 to $177.5, throughout the last 30 days.

Applied Mat Call and Put Volume: 30-Day Overview

Significant Options Trades Detected:

About Applied Mat

Applied Materials 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.

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

Present Market Standing of Applied Mat

• With a volume of 2,740,455, the price of AMAT is down -3.01% at $167.64.
• RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be approaching overbought.
• Next earnings are expected to be released in 55 days.

What Analysts Are Saying About Applied Mat

Over the past month, 1 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $158.0.

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 Morgan Stanley has elevated its stance to Equal-Weight, setting a new price target at $158.

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.