What Are Whales Doing With Palo Alto Networks

Someone with a lot of money to spend has taken a bearish stance on Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW).

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the big position showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether this is an institution or just a wealthy individual, we don't know. But when something this big happens with PANW, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

So how do we know what this whale just did?

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 19 uncommon options trades for Palo Alto Networks.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 36% bullish and 63%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 3 are puts, for a total amount of $175,650, and 16 are calls, for a total amount of $707,280.

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 $400.0 to $635.0 for Palo Alto Networks over the last 3 months.

Volume & Open Interest Development

Looking at the volume and open interest is an insightful way to conduct due diligence on a stock.

This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Palo Alto Networks'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 Palo Alto Networks's whale activity within a strike price range from $400.0 to $635.0 in the last 30 days.

Palo Alto Networks Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days

Biggest Options Spotted:

Where Is Palo Alto Networks Standing Right Now?

• With a volume of 1,431,344, the price of PANW is up 4.94% at $499.01.
• RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be approaching overbought.
• Next earnings are expected to be released in 85 days.

What The Experts Say On Palo Alto Networks:

• Keybanc has decided to maintain their Overweight rating on Palo Alto Networks, which currently sits at a price target of $643.
• Citigroup has decided to maintain their Buy rating on Palo Alto Networks, which currently sits at a price target of $600.
• Barclays has decided to maintain their Overweight rating on Palo Alto Networks, which currently sits at a price target of $645.
• JP Morgan upgraded its action to Neutral with a price target of $620
• Raymond James has decided to maintain their Outperform rating on Palo Alto Networks, which currently sits at a price target of $610.

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 are already an options trader or would like to get started, head on over to Benzinga Pro. Benzinga Pro gives you up-to-date news and analytics to empower your investing and trading strategy.