A Closer Look at Intel's Options Market Dynamics

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Intel INTC.

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 INTC, 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 27 uncommon options trades for Intel.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 44% bullish and 55%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 6 are puts, for a total amount of $266,317, and 21 are calls, for a total amount of $1,157,845.

Predicted Price Range

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $15.0 to $60.0 for Intel during the past quarter.

Analyzing Volume & Open Interest

In terms of liquidity and interest, the mean open interest for Intel options trades today is 10427.76 with a total volume of 23,657.00.

In the following chart, we are able to follow the development of volume and open interest of call and put options for Intel's big money trades within a strike price range of $15.0 to $60.0 over the last 30 days.

Intel 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Biggest Options Spotted:

About Intel

Intel is a leading digital chipmaker, focused on the design and manufacturing of microprocessors for the global personal computer and data center markets. Intel pioneered the x86 architecture for microprocessors and was the prime proponent of Moore's law for advances in semiconductor manufacturing. Intel remains the market share leader in central processing units in both the PC and server end markets. Intel has also been expanding into new adjacencies, such as communications infrastructure, automotive, and the Internet of Things. Further, Intel expects to leverage its chip manufacturing capabilities into an outsourced foundry model where it constructs chips for others.

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

Intel's Current Market Status

• Currently trading with a volume of 17,810,508, the INTC's price is down by -0.71%, now at $43.05.
• RSI readings suggest the stock is currently may be approaching oversold.
• Anticipated earnings release is in 83 days.

Expert Opinions on Intel

In the last month, 5 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $44.4.

• Reflecting concerns, an analyst from Rosenblatt lowers its rating to Sell with a new price target of $17.
• An analyst from Benchmark has decided to maintain their Buy rating on Intel, which currently sits at a price target of $62.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Morgan Stanley keeps a Equal-Weight rating on Intel with a target price of $48.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Wedbush continues to hold a Neutral rating for Intel, targeting a price of $40.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Mizuho continues to hold a Buy rating for Intel, targeting a price of $55.

Trading options involves greater risks but also offers the potential for higher profits. Savvy traders mitigate these risks through ongoing education, strategic trade adjustments, utilizing various indicators, and staying attuned to market dynamics. Keep up with the latest options trades for Intel with Benzinga Pro for real-time alerts.