What the Options Market Tells Us About Morgan Stanley

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 10 uncommon options trades for Morgan Stanley.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 30% bullish and 70%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 6 are puts, for a total amount of $184,271, and 4 are calls, for a total amount of $125,960.

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Predicted Price Range

Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $50.0 to $120.0 for Morgan Stanley over the recent three months.

Volume & Open Interest Development

Looking at the volume and open interest is a powerful move while trading options. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Morgan Stanley'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 Morgan Stanley's whale trades within a strike price range from $50.0 to $120.0 in the last 30 days.

Morgan Stanley 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Largest Options Trades Observed:

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 24% of its total revenue is from outside the Americas. The company had over $6 trillion of client assets as well as around 70,000 employees at the end of 2024.

In light of the recent options history for Morgan Stanley, it's now appropriate to focus on the company itself. We aim to explore its current performance.

Present Market Standing of Morgan Stanley

• With a trading volume of 3,303,083, the price of MS is down by -1.12%, reaching $114.0.
• Current RSI values indicate that the stock is is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.
• Next earnings report is scheduled for 77 days from now.

Expert Opinions on Morgan Stanley

5 market experts have recently issued ratings for this stock, with a consensus target price of $129.8.

Turn $1000 into $1270 in just 20 days?

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. * Maintaining their stance, an analyst from JP Morgan continues to hold a Neutral rating for Morgan Stanley, targeting a price of $125. * An analyst from Wells Fargo persists with their Equal-Weight rating on Morgan Stanley, maintaining a target price of $120. * An analyst from JP Morgan persists with their Neutral rating on Morgan Stanley, maintaining a target price of $122. * An analyst from B of A Securities persists with their Buy rating on Morgan Stanley, maintaining a target price of $144. * An analyst from Evercore ISI Group has decided to maintain their Outperform rating on Morgan Stanley, which currently sits at a price target of $138.

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 Morgan Stanley with Benzinga Pro for real-time alerts.