Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on HCA Healthcare HCA.
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 HCA, 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 9 uncommon options trades for HCA Healthcare.
This isn't normal.
The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 33% bullish and 66%, bearish.
Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 4 are puts, for a total amount of $674,730, and 5 are calls, for a total amount of $530,480.
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 $255.0 to $325.0 for HCA Healthcare during the past quarter.
Volume & Open Interest Trends
Assessing the volume and open interest is a strategic step in options trading. These metrics shed light on the liquidity and investor interest in HCA Healthcare's options at specified strike prices. The forthcoming data visualizes the fluctuation in volume and open interest for both calls and puts, linked to HCA Healthcare's substantial trades, within a strike price spectrum from $255.0 to $325.0 over the preceding 30 days.
HCA Healthcare 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot
Noteworthy Options Activity:
| Symbol | PUT/CALL | Trade Type | Sentiment | Exp. Date | Ask | Bid | Price | Strike Price | Total Trade Price | Open Interest | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HCA | PUT | TRADE | BEARISH | 06/20/25 | $17.3 | $15.5 | $17.0 | $255.00 | $510.0K | 0 | 0 |
| HCA | CALL | SWEEP | BEARISH | 05/17/24 | $8.4 | $8.0 | $8.0 | $310.00 | $317.6K | 22 | 400 |
| HCA | CALL | TRADE | NEUTRAL | 05/17/24 | $12.9 | $12.2 | $12.6 | $300.00 | $126.0K | 21 | 30 |
| HCA | PUT | TRADE | BULLISH | 05/17/24 | $27.7 | $25.8 | $26.12 | $320.00 | $78.3K | 102 | 21 |
| HCA | PUT | TRADE | BEARISH | 05/17/24 | $6.0 | $5.7 | $6.0 | $280.00 | $60.0K | 4 | 101 |
About HCA Healthcare
HCA Healthcare is a Nashville-based healthcare provider organization operating the largest collection of acute-care hospitals in the United States. As of December 2022, the firm owned and operated 182 hospitals, 126 freestanding outpatient surgery centers, and a broad network of physician offices, urgent-care clinics, and freestanding emergency rooms across 20 states and a small foothold in England.
After a thorough review of the options trading surrounding HCA Healthcare, we move to examine the company in more detail. This includes an assessment of its current market status and performance.
Current Position of HCA Healthcare
- With a trading volume of 1,232,506, the price of HCA is down by -4.28%, reaching $297.71.
- Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be oversold.
- Next earnings report is scheduled for 8 days from now.
Expert Opinions on HCA Healthcare
Over the past month, 3 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $336.3333333333333.
- An analyst from Deutsche Bank has decided to maintain their Buy rating on HCA Healthcare, which currently sits at a price target of $359.
- An analyst from Wells Fargo persists with their Equal-Weight rating on HCA Healthcare, maintaining a target price of $315.
- Reflecting concerns, an analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald lowers its rating to Overweight with a new price target of $335.
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 HCA Healthcare, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Date of Trade | ticker | Put/Call | Strike Price | DTE | Sentiment |
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